Tuesday 31 December 2013

Best Of 2013: Lips


This post kicks off the first of my 'Best of 2013' series. It will involve mostly make-up but maybe some other products and bits too. Here are the lip products that have seen me well through the lovely year of 2013!

MAC 'Rebel' Lipstick - Link
This has being the perfect lipstick to get me into Autumn this year. I hate it when Summer end but it's the little things like this that make me excited to get into winter and autumn (I really am sad!) Anyway, I love this lipstick and it will be worn right into 2014!

Maybelline 'Cherry Me' Baby Lips - Link
Babylips have being a big hit with bloggers this year and rightly so. Despite only discovering them in the Autumn, I have still worn one almost every day. They will be perfect for Summer too so ar every versatile.

NUXE Reve de Miel Lip Balm - Link
I have being applying this all year round as it soothes and nourishes my lips whether it's the harsh winds in the winter or the blistering heat in the summer. It's extremely moisturising and smells amazing! Definitely worth the investment if you're not used to spending a bit more on lip balms!

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lip Pencil in 'Indian Pink' - Link
I have really got into putting lip liners underneath my lipsticks this year. They make your lipstick look more vibrant and last so much longer. I love this colour on it's own too. Rimmel do super affordable lip liners which are of great quality. 

Chubby Lip pencils in general. MUA & Revlon - Link // Link
The market for chubby lip pencils took off with Clinique's offering of the 'Chubby Stick'. Revlon then followed and now by the end of 2013, most brands have this type of lip product. I feel like one of these will be in any make-up lovers lip favourites as their so easy to apply and you can get such a variety of colours and finishes. I have the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Rendezvous (pictured in the middle) and two of MUA's Power Pout's. 

I found it really hard to cut down to 5 products as I probably have around 100 lip products in my collection, I am obsessed! There are probably a lot I've forgot about but these are probably the most used of the year. Seen as it's the 31st of December right now (and probably 1st of Jan for some!) I will say I hope you had a fantastic 2013 and happy new year!!

Lots of Love,

Alice


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Thursday 26 December 2013

Christmas Make-Up Presents ♥

Hello everyone, hope you all had a fab christmas and ate plenty of food! I know I did and I have a ridiculous amount of chocolate to eat up (what a shame!) My mum and sister both know how obsessed with make-up I am, so they bought me these lovely gifts. My mum made the NARS 'At First Sight' eye and cheek palette and the Urban Decay Vice 2 palette part of my christmas gifts, whilst my sister picked up some lovely Max Factor bits.










NARS 'At First Sight' Eye and Cheek Palette
When I opened this, I was in awe! The NARS packaging is so sleek and compact and I love it so much! It contains the infamous Laguna Bronzer, a blush in 'Deep Throat' and 4 eye shadows in the shades 'All About Eve, 'Nouveau Monde', 'Bellissima' and 'Cordura (||)'. I've always ignored the NARS laguna bronzer hype and thought most bronzers were the same... Boy was I wrong! It's finely milled and matte which makes it look extremely natural and gorgeous on the skin. I shot down the hype about their blushers too. Deep throat is a gorgeous light pink colour with a healthy dose of shimmer which is very pigmented, just like the bronzer. The eye shadows are also nicely pigmented and I am impressed with the range of colours. This palette will be going everywhere with me and is so handy for travelling - it will save loads of room!

Urban Decay Vice 2 Palette
This palette has a mix of brown neutral colours with the odd pop of colour. There's a mixture of purple and pink shades with a lovely silver shade thrown in there too. This is more of an experimental palette than the Naked palettes. I love my Naked palette but I think this palette will be better for nights out where I can play around with colours. 

Max Factor Goodies
My sister got me this lovely blush whose colour isn't that far off Deep Throat. She also got me this lovely nail varnish that is a brown/ rose gold shade. It's shimmery on the nails and is perfect for the party season! Finally, she got me this gorgeous lipstick in the shade '685 Mulberry'. I find it difficult to describe the colour but the end of the bullet shows it well. It comes across as super shiny on the lips which I love and the packaging is so sleek too. I've never really heard beauty bloggers talk about Max Factor lipsticks before but the gold packaging makes me think of something YSL would do. Beaut-i-ful!


I'm not too keen on telling everyone everything I got for christmas as I feel those posts can come across as quite arrogant, however I am a nosy gal and love looking at those kind of posts so link them below if you like. I just thought I'd show you all these gorgeous make-up gifts I received as I am ridiculously excited to play around with them. I can tell NARS is going to be my new obsession which isn't good for my purse, woops!

Have you got any of these products? If so, what do you think of them?


Lots of Love,

Alice


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Monday 23 December 2013

Home For Chistmas





Yay, I get my double bed back!

Room for all my products!

Cute Christmas Hamper made by my friend

Wrapping Presents


Hello Everyone, hope you're all getting excited for Christmas! 
Being at university is a strange thing, as you feel like you have 2 homes. Coming home for Christmas is very strange as it doesn't really feel like home as it did before uni. Things I love about my house and took for granted are my double bed, a power shower, a dishwasher and lots of heating! Haha! However there are things that kind of make me sad to be away from uni: feeling lonely. At uni there's so many people your age about whereas here it's just my family. As much as I love my family, getting told what to do etc is a very strange thing when I've being doing what I want for months.

Anyway, the house looks so pretty with all the decorations up so I thought I'd share some pics on here. I can't wait for lots of food, opening and exchanging presents and watching lots of Christmas films! I haven't really put a christmassy post on here so thought this would be a nice little post :) Merry Christmas!!


Lots of Love,

Alice


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Tuesday 17 December 2013

Haul // Gift Ideas

Christmas time is such an expensive time and is very hard when you're a student like me. By bank account is getting closer to the value of £0 and I am so determined to not have to go into my overdraft! Thankfully this semester is almost over and I can go back to having lovely home cooked meals. Anyway, I thought I would show you all what I got some people for christmas (and some for myself, oops!) There's a few gift ideas here, perfect for those on a budget.


For A Friend: Sanctuary Body Butter Collection & Baby Lips. - Link // Link
The Sanctuary is a gorgeous brand sold in Boots. They're products are luxurious at affordable prices. I feel like this would be a great present for a friend you may not know as well, a secret santa or just part of a big present for your best friend! It's currently £7.50 in boots so go check it out.
I also got some Maybelline Baby Lips in 'Cherry Me' for a couple of people as little extras. I also got myself one as I love my 'Pink Punch' baby lips so much.

For Dad: Gillette Razor and Blades. - Link
Bit of a weird thing to be putting on my blog I guess, but I feel it's a good present to buy your dad if you don't know what to get him. Gillette is a brilliant brand for razors and they are really good quality. The Gillette fusion is a male razor but even I use it sometimes! It never cuts you but can be quite expensive for a razor compared to the disposable ones you can get. I'm sure my dad will appreciate this as a present anyway (he better).

For Me: Baby Lips, Primark Hair Bobbles & The L'Oreal Color Appeal Eyeshadow in 'Golden Rose'. - Link 
I desperately needed some hair bobbles (or ties, whatever you like to call them) and thought Primark was the best place to go. I love how they have pastel bobbles! Event though it's winter I still love a good pastel. Moving on to my favourite product that I bought: this L'Oreal beauty! This eyeshadow is a rose gold colour, similar to All That Glitters by MAC, but slightly more shimmery/glittery. It's great to wear for a night out on just swept over the lid in the daytime.






As you can see by the number of pictures, I really enjoyed playing with this product. The colour is stunning and I can't wait to wear this on a night out. I've always wanted to try one of L'Oreal's Infallible Eyeshadows so that will be the next on my list! I have a list as long as my arm at the moment, so I will probably be soon doing a make-up wishlist post and there will definitely be some beauties on there! Follow my blog on bloglovin to see that :)

Lots of Love,

Alice

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Wednesday 11 December 2013

The Winter Lip-care Line Up





As you can see I've being playing around with my new camera and exploring different angles and lighting with blog photography. The lighting becomes increasingly difficult as the days get shorter, especially when I live in university halls of residence and windows are far and few between. The winter darkness is rather depressing when you leave as it's getting light and return in the dark. Anyway, getting on to the point of the post... lip products. Aka my favourite thing to talk about when it comes to make-up. Most people get super sore lips during winter and I'm definitely one of those people. Even when indoors, my lips are so dry because of the heating *I type whilst slapping on my Nuxe Lipbalm*. I believe the products in this post make my lips lovely and moisturised and prevent the horrible licking of the lips technique that is, oh so tempting, but makes them 100% worse. 

LUSH Bubblegum Lip Scrub - Link
Applying lip balm alone with not stop those lips from damage if a lip scrub isn't used beforehand. A lip scrub will remove all the dead skin cells and make a smooth base for a lip balm or whatever lipstick you decide to apply. I recommend the lush ones; they're handmade and for a fiver you can't really go wrong. Another positive of this one in particular is the fact it's nice to eat too. Always a bonus!

Korres Lip Butter: Guava - Link
I recently got this whilst in Waitrose (never knew Korres was stocked there!) and it was on a deal for around £5. As any beauty addict would, I got over excited as it's usually £8 both in Waitrose and online. On a whim, I picked up 'Guava' as I remembered reading about it on a few blog posts in the past. I kind of wished I'd picked up Wild Rose or Jasmine as these ones had a tint to them, however I feel they will barge their way into my possession some time in the near future. However, this is a nice one on a no make-up day and is really moisturising.

Nuxe Reve de Miel Lip Balm - Link
Yes I have this in pot AND stick form, one for home and one for on the go, and only because I love the product so much. I always thought £10 was a bit steep for a lip balm, so after hearing so many good things I decided I needed it in my life. (As you can see, I am easily persuaded by other bloggers and their recommendations and easily give in to hype.) I am so glad I took the plunge because it's probably the best out of the bunch. There's a sweet smell to it, almost like honey, and you can instantly tell it's being made from natural ingredients. Once you get used to the thick-ish consistency of it (NOT sticky), then you will really appreciate how good for your lips this is.

Nivea Hydrocare Lip Balm - Link
This cheap and cheerful product is probably the most hydrating, as the name suggests. I believe it puts water back into your lips, preventing them from being dehydrated. It's extremely handy for on the go really does make my lips feel quenched.

Maybelline Baby Lips: Pink Punch - Link
Last but not least is the hype that is the baby lips. Not as hydrating as the other products, but definitely moisturising in comparison to lipsticks and glosses. If you want to finish off your pout with some colour, then this is definitely worth a try as it is moisturising and gives a great pop of colour. I literally wear this every day now, as lipsticks have become too drying and are quite frankly, a pain in the bum to keep reapplying.

So there we have my essential lip-care products to get me through the winter months. Forget dry, chapped lips and embrace the winter lip-care line up. You don't have to spend a lot; a simple lip scrub and lip balm will do the job. As a beauty and make-up addict, I like variety but it's not essential, haha!
What are your favourite winter lip products? Comment below!

Lots of Love,

Alice


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Saturday 7 December 2013

November Favourites


Origins Make A Difference Plus + Rejuvenating Treatment - Link
I received this as part of the Moisturise and be merry gift set (post about it here) and I can say it is my new favourite moisturiser. When paired over their serum, my skin never fails to feel juicy and moisturised the next morning; almost like I've just applied it. The pot is so handy and the packaging makes it look quite luxurious. I now am a new fan of Origins as a brand as I was so impressed by this product.

Nails Inc Kate Spade Nail Polish in Big Apple Red
Every time Glamour come out with an issue involving a free high end gift, I'm sold. I have tried a few Nails Inc polishes and have never being disappointed. This is a true red colour and looks so classic on the nails; definitely my fave polish at the moment!

No7 Beautifully Matte Foundation - Link
This foundation + Real Techniques Buffing Brush = Flawless finish. I absolutely love this foundation in terms of coverage and finish. It contains SPF but it still makes you look lovely and matte. It photographs well and contains salicylic acid to ensure your skin doesn't get clogged. When a product both benefits the skin and makes it look good, it always has a place in my favourites. 

Origins Make A Difference Rejuvenating Cleansing Milk - Link
I'm a huge fan of the Murad Blemish Control Clarifying Cleanser, especially when I'm in the shower. However, I find this cleansing milk by Origins to be an easier option when I want to quickly take my make-up off and jump into bed. At first I was apprehensive and thought it may break me out, but much like the rest of the Origins set, it hasn't! It's moisturising as well as cleansing, so my skin doesn't feel dry. I really feel like the origins products make my skin produce less oil due to being so moisturised, hence gaining a better complexion. These products may have to creep into my yearly favourites that I will be doing at the end of the year!

LUSH Bubblegum Lip Scrub - Link
Now the cold weather has well and truly crept in, chapped lips are an issue for most girls (and even boys). I love a good lip balm and I have a fair few, but what use are they if you have flaky lips? A lip scrub is a brilliant way to smooth out the lips before applying balm and this product does the job well. It also happens that it smells nice and tastes yummy too!

Molecule 01 Perfume - Link
I did a post about my love for this here, so I don't need to say too much. I have had so many compliments on my smell despite not being able to smell anything myself. It's a great product that I will most definitely be repurchasing.
Benefit Benetint - Link
I went back to this product recently as I can't really be bothered with lipstick at the moment. I love how this product makes my lips look natural and like I'm not wearing anything. I pop this on with a bit of lip balm and I'm done! This is a small size I got free in a magazine quite a while ago and I'd love to repurchase it, however, due to being a student I may have to look for a cheaper alternative that does the same thing. 

Anyone else done a November favourites this month? Would love to hear what you've being loving.

Lots of Love,

Alice

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Friday 22 November 2013

Origins Moisturise and Be Merry Gift Set

Origins 'Moisturise and be merry' gift set - £40





One question I ask myself is: Why have I never tried Origins before?

After being very kindly gifted the Origins 'Moisturise and Be Merry' gift set, this question became apparent as it is AMAZING. As you can see, you get the full size of the Make A Difference Plus + Rejuvenating Treatment which is amazing seen as it's about £30 on it's own. You also get the rejuvenating treatment lotion as well as the cleansing milk and even a 15ml sample of the serum!
I have heard so many good things not only about Origins as a brand in itself, but in particular with the Rejuvenating treatment. I believe this is a moisturiser and it applies so nicely. It is light in texture and hasn't broke me out.. WIN.

I have being doing a skincare routine involving this whereby I use the cleanser to remove the rest of my make-up (after I've used the L'Oreal Micellar Water). I then use the serum followed by the Rejuvenation treatment which acts as a moisturiser. Never in my life have I woke up with skin so soft and I could still feel the moisture on my face that I put on the night before! This isn't a problem at all as it feels extremely light, but I was genuinely shocked at how that happened when I'd had a 9 hour sleep. When anyone ever said the word 'moisture' I'd almost run a mile because of my oily skin type but this didn't make it greasy or oily at all; just moisturised! The thing that surprises me is that you can have oily dehydrated skin. I feel that these beauties in this set moisturises my skin to the point where I've noticed less oil being produced throughout the day on my face!

As you can see I am truly besotted by these new skincare goodies and would love to try some more things from Origins, preferably an eye cream. 

Anything you guys would recommend from Origins?

Lots of Love,

Alice




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Saturday 16 November 2013

Molecule 01 Perfume


A little late on the bandwagon, yes. But is this the best perfume ever? Definitely, yes.

I got bought this as a present from my sister for my 19th birthday as I kept mentioning it and how much I wanted it. The fact that one molecule makes it smell unique on each individual person fascinates me. I saw so many bloggers say how much they got complimented when wearing it and now I understand why! Some say it enhances your natural smell but I feel like with me, it's still a perfume but not a specific floral, fruity or woody smell; it's just a smell. Fragrances are definitely the hardest things to blog about as there is no smell-o-vision, but all I can say is that you can't really smell it on yourself too much but other people just think you generally smell lovely! A reason to purchase, right?!

It was about £30 for this 30ml bottle which can be purchased on AMAZON. I believe if you live near London, it is available in LIBERTY. You can purchase this on CULT BEAUTY too. Not sure about Liberty but Amazon and Cult Beauty do both 30ml and 100ml sizes.


Has anyone else tried this?

Lots of Love,

Alice


                    P.S: Has anyone realised the photo quality is better? I have a new camera, yay!


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Thursday 24 October 2013

Collective Haul!

Hiya everyone, hope you're all doing well. I've being pretty busy recently because this time 4 weeks ago I started university. Since I started, I have only managed to put up one blog post so I'm sorry! It's just being a hectic month of settling in and making friends etc... Let me know if you want me to do a post on my experience at university so far and I will be happy to write about it.

Since being here I have taken two trips to the big shopping centre near my university, one being a student lock in, which means only one thing... shopping occurs and my bank balance suffers! I got some really good deals at the student lock in and have collected quite a bit of stuff so thought it was time to do a big juicy haul. I apologise in advance for the rubbish pictures; I haven't got the best lighting in my halls of residence and haven't got the fanciest camera. The latter may change very soon though!





























I don't think each item needs explanation as I've included annotations with the photos. Everything was purchased with my own money except from the Benefit mascara which was bought for me courtesy of my lovely friend Becky. I have acquired quite a few things and won't be shopping for a long while now! It's my birthday in about a week though so may do a birthday type of post...

Are you tempted to buy any of these things? Let me know in the comments section below and don't forget to follow me on bloglovin if you want to have updates of when I post and of what I've being buying! Lots of Love, Alice x








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Friday 27 September 2013

Starter Makeup

Hi everyone, hope you're all doing well! I'm almost a week into university now and loving it, but freshers has meant that I haven't being focusing on blogging at all due to so much going on. I planned to do this post a while ago when it was my sister's birthday. She has just turned 17 and has never really wore make-up until now. She wanted me to get her some make-up bits for her birthday so it got me thinking about what cheap and cheerful make-up would be good for beginners. I've tried a fair few products in my time and these are the ones from the 'drugstore' that I think work really well for beginners both in terms of value for money and ease to apply.


Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation
This remains the cult 'drugstore' foundation of the moment as it gives an amazing finish at a great price of £8.99. It's not too dewy and not too matte and is great for covering blemishes. 


Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer
Again, another cult product which every blogger and their fishes wear! It covers spots and blemishes so well, although I would say it may be too thick for some peoples undereyes. 

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder
This is my favourite powder of all time! It puts my shine at bay all day and isn't too heavy nor too light; it's the perfect in between. 

Ecotools domed bronzer brush
When finding a brush for my sister, I wanted a multi purpose one that she could use for either powder, bronzer or blusher. This one from Eco tools looked lovely and I would use it for either purposes mentioned before. It was £9.99 which isn't too expensive if you compare it to MAC brushes, but I am aware that you can get one for cheaper. However, I think the brushes you can get for £3ish aren't as good quality and won't last as long. Therefore these brushes, as well as the Real Techniques brushes, are a good investment to make.

Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder
I am in love with this bronzer and I find it to be the nicest one I have ever used from either Boots or  Superdrug. It was £6.99 which is great for it's quality and I highly recommend it over any from Rimmel or Sleek (although the Sleek contouring kit is great!)

Natural Collection blushers
These blushers are either love or hate. Some people find them too chalky but I love it as the pigmentation is incredible and for £1.99 that is just... the best value blush ever! The one I bought my sister was the shade 'Peach Melba' which I have and love as it brightens my face up instantly. They do about 6 shades so you'll still lov them even if peach isn't your shade.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Mascara
This mascara was on an introductory offer of £5 (sorry sis ;) ) so I thought I'd pick this one up for her. I've seen it on her eyes and it looks really nice and gives both length and volume. My favourite one of all time is L'Oreal's telescopic or volume million lashes but they can be quite pricey at £12.

MUA Power Pouts
Finally I wanted to get her a lip product, but not one that was too overpowering e.g a matte red lipstick. The MUA Power Pouts are glossy and reasonably pigmented without being too 'in your face'. I got her a pink/red shade that she could dab on lightly throughout the day or pile on if a more fancy occasion arised. Overall, I love this product and at £3, you cant go wrong!

So there is my overview of the products I picked out for my sister that would be perfect for beginners in make-up. None of the products are too expensive and they are truly brilliant. Let me know if you have any of these products and what you think of them!





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Wednesday 18 September 2013

GIVEAWAY: Boots Voucher

Hi everyone, this is a very exciting post as I am hosting a giveaway courtesy of suppose.com where you can win £20 worth of boots vouchers! I shall start by telling you about Suppose.com as a website and then how you can enter the giveaway!





About



Suppose.com is a website where people join and share deals that they find. By sharing deals (for example, you've found there's a really good online sale), people can vote for your deal which gives you reward points! With these points, you can enter amazing competitions ranging from £250 giftcards to winning a playstation 4!

Here are some facts about the site:


·        Suppose has over 2700 members
·        These members have found over £518,000  of savings in just 5 months
·        Their average saving is 51% off the RRP
·        When you share deals other members vote for them to give you Reward Points
·        By working together, Suppose.com finds savings that people would never have found on their own. It's good to help each other make our money go further.

Giveaway

All you have to do is pop over to the giveaway on their website here and enter your details to be in with the chance of winning. Vote for 5 deals and then you're entered! Simple!

Please be a follower of my blog on GFC and bloglovin :) The links are in the sidebar!

Good luck!




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