Recently, pretty much everyone has been obsessed with liquid lipsticks and achieving that matte lip affect! I thought I would jump on the bandwagon and see what the hype is about. But first off start small and affordable. MUA Cosmetics have a selection of liquid matte lipsticks in their range for an affordable price of £3!!!! First off, I love the packaging of this product. It look's so luxurious and I love the mix of the gold and the transparent misty glass affect. Surely there is a proper name for that? But will just leave it with that haha. When looking at this product, you wouldn't presume it cost's £3. It look's a lot more expensive than it actually is.
Alongside lipsticks, highlighters have to be my favourite beauty product. I personally feel no make-up look is complete without adding a touch of highlight to my face. I love creating a soft glowy look, that also helps to brighten my face and create dimension. Surprisingly, I only own a select few highlighters. But the ones that I do own are ones of great quality, affordability and stunning colour. Here are some of my current favourites from my collection:
Makeup Revolution - Golden Sugar Ultra Blush Palette (£8) - Top Left Shade:
First off, I hate how this palette doesn't actually have names for the eight shades. It makes it hard for me to try show you what I'm on about. But anyway, one of my favourite highlighters is the top left shade from this palette. This shade is the perfect shade from this blush palette for highlighting. It's a stunning bright pearl colour! Because of how bright it is, it really helps to lighten up any areas that you wish to bring some life to. I personally love applying this to the inner corners of my eyes, to make my eyes pop and also I like to apply this on my cupids bow to give the illusion of fuller lips. Although this highlighter is just as stunning when applied across the cheek bones, down the bridge of the nose and under the brow bone. I believe this palette works great for pale girls, who want to lighten their face and create an extra bit of glow! I have a full review of this palette here.
The cheapest in my collection is this £3 highlighter from MUA. It's not only very affordable, but is also one of great quality. It is a pigmented pearly champagne pink colour. It gives the skin a lovely girly glow, one that I find will suit all skin tones. I love wearing this during the spring and summer months. For being a pink based shade, it is isn't too over the top or overpowering. Although you can easily build this up, if you fancy going for more of a prominent highlight for a night out look. It is also easy to blend due to it's lightweight formula, so if you make any mistakes, there's no need to panic about having to start again. I think this is a great highlighter for any beginners, since's it's purse friendly and really easy to use.
A product that has been featured on my blog probably way too many times already, but one that has soon become a holy grail of mine and one I'm always reaching for. On more of the pricier side (£17.50), Mary Lou Manizer is a product that I am so glad I invested in. It's a gorgeous stunning golden champagne colour with high pigmentation and long staying power. I wear this daily, even though some may find this a little too over powering for everyday wear. But I enjoy using this in my day to day look, because it gives me such a healthy glow and creates great dimension to my face. I honestly couldn't live without this product in my make-up collection! I have a full review of this product here.
What are your current favourite highlighters? Have you tried any of these, if so what are your thoughts on them?
I've always wished I had tight ringlets curls due to my boring straight hair. I'd seen this little hair tool floating around the beauty world back at the start of the year. I saw people rocking these gorgeous tight curls that could quite easily pass off as being someone's natural hair if they didn't know they had used a heated product on their hair. I just had to find out how they achieved this look. It was everything I was looking for to bring something different to my hair!
The Chopstick Styler by Lee Stafford was the answer.The curler it's self is my favourite style of curling tool. It's a wand based curler, in a very thin rectangle barrel and it has a rubber like end, which means it is perfect for resting your finger on when waiting for your hair to curl. The barrel is fairly long, so if you have long hair, there's no need to worry about it not being long enough to curl the length of the strand. There is a small switch located on the side, which is used to turn the tool on, as well as a light indicator informing you whether it's on or off. The Chopstick Styler reaches a temperature of 200 degrees, so always make sure you're being careful when using this. I'd recommend using a thermal glove for extra safety!!!
This is my natural hair. Boring. Straight. No volume. This is about two days posh wash here. So it's not really clean, but it's also not completely dirty either. I find this is the best state to curl my hair in, because it gives that extra bit of grip my hair need's to keep the curls in tact. When preparing my hair to use this styler, I like to brush it through and make sure I have got rid of any nots. Once this has been done, I like to spray a bit of dry shampoo over my roots and through my hair, just to give it a bit of texture before curling. My favourite to use is Bastite. Next, I'll spray some heat defence, like this one from Treseme to protect my hair from being damaged by the temperature of this tool.
Once I have prepared my hair and the styler has heated up, I like to section off the bottom half of my hair. To do this, I run my fingers behind my ears and from the top of my ears, I take a small section of hair and pull it forwards. The rest of my hair, I normally either pin or tie up on the top of my head. The reason I like to section off the back/bottom part of my hair is because I find this the hardest to reach when working round my head. Bringing it forward helps me to get as closest to the root as possible, as these parts of my hair are slightly shorter than the rest of my hair length, so it ensures that the curls will sit around the same place when all my hair is brought together.
To curl my hair with the chopstick styler, I take a small strand of my hair and wrap it around the barrel. Then I leave it on there for roughly ten seconds. Gently, I pull the hair off the styler and it leaves me with a gorgeous tight corkscrew curl. To ensure these type of curls, you need to make sure you're taking small strands. If not, bigger strands will products bigger and more bouncier like curls. I then repeat this processes for the bottom sections of my hair, before I move onto the rest of my hair which I chose not to section.
Instead, I like to repeat the same steps but with the remainder of my hair. I tend to start on the left side of my hair. Taking a small section from the front, I will wrap the barrel around the section of hair from where it starts just in align with my cheek bone. This creates curls that don't come from the root. Instead, they sit a lot further down and flow down. Hopefully that does make sense to you. Although it is up to you where your curls will start from. After I done the front hair strand, I then work round my head to produce curls that are from the similar starting height. However, I do alternate each strand. For example, one may start slightly higher up than the other and then the next might start slightly lower. This way you don't end up with your curls sitting on top of each other.
This is the finished look! I do apologise for the state of myself in these photos. I am not a very photogenic person at all. But I wanted to show the before and after. As you can see, I've created tight ringlet style curls. If I wanted them more corkscrew, I could have used smaller sections. But I am pretty pleased with how it has turned out!
Finishing off the look, I have sprayed some Treseme Extra Hold:Hairspray through my hair just to ensure that extra hold. But even without hairspray, these curls stay well in tact for a good few days. In particular, I love the look of these curls a day after you have curled them. They have ever so slightly dropped, which I think add's a natural twist on the hair. Even when they are brushed through, they create the most gorgeous beachy waves through your hair, which can quite easily be another look you might go for.
To curl my whole head of hair, it does take a little while longer than the average curler would. This is mainly down from taking small sections and using a thinner barrel. However it is definitely worth it when you get to the finished result!
My first initial thought was that the styler was going to be a little too pricey for my small budget, but I was proved very wrong! This styling tool is an absolute bargain for the look and hold it produces. Available at most It retails at only £19.99 in Superdrug and Argos.I was lucky enough to get it for only £15.99 from Tesco's. At the moment it is currently out of stock online, although it is worth having a look in-store to see if they have it.
I'm really glad I invested in this tool! It's sooo good for the price and creates the most perfect tight corkscrew curls, which stay in place for a generous few days. I've used this so much already since getting it and have gotten so many lovely compliments.
What are your thoughts? Have you tried this? Would you try this?
My last post for 2015 on my blog was my 'Highlights of 2015, Life and Blogging Goals for 2016'. This post is pretty much self explanatory, but I included a mixture of goals that I would like to achieve online and offline. I thought I would do a goals review each month. This way it would really help me to track my progress, help keep my motivation levels high and to remind myself of some of the things I would like to achieve within 2016. Also I thought it might be something you might enjoy reading and might spur you on to review your goals and get back on track.
In terms of life goals, I haven't been able to achieve much during this first month of the year. One of my goals was to get a full time job in Marketing or Administration. So far things haven't been that great. I feel like I'm constantly looking and not really getting anywhere. There's either nothing that is suitable for me or when I do find something that interests me, it's in the middle of nowhere and would be difficult for me to get to. However I'm not going to stop looking or give up simply because of the lack of success so far. I am still regularly looking each day and hopefully by the next goal review, I will be able to say I have applied for some jobs and might have even attended some interviews.
Because of not being able to get a job yet or doing much with my time, my confidence hasn't grown hugely either. Although I would say I have been receiving some really positive and great feedback on my posts recently. It honestly surprises me so much when I see a new comment on a post! It makes me smile so much and it so rewarding when a post goes down well. I was so shocked when I kept getting new comments on my Lush - Cupcake Face Mask post. I honestly had no idea why people kept commenting. Even though it probably isn't many comments to some people, for me it was insane and I just couldn't believe it. It made me feel so happy and boosted my confidence in my blogging abilities. Thank you to everyone who takes the time out to read and leave a nice comment!
One thing that has really been a disappointment this month is the fact that my anxiety and depression has flared up quite bad again recently. I have no idea why. I think it might be due to the fact that after Christmas I felt like there wasn't much to look forward to any more and I really knew I had to really knuckle down to find a job. I couldn't let my anxiety win any more. I had to take back control. However, the whole lack of job finding and day's of not doing much, has just made me feel so worthless and negative about myself and certain things in my life. My sleep has been a bit on/off this month too which has a major impact on my moods. But there has been quite a few days this month where I've just been feeling really down, unmotivated, exhausted, anxious, worried, stressed, irritable and not been able to relax easily. I've also been putting way too much pressure on myself about my blog, but I'll come to that a little bit later.
On a slightly more positive note, I have been trying hard to work on my emetephobia. When I go out now, I find that I am less worried when I come home about what germs I might have picked up and it doesn't bother me when I go to sleep like it use to. Also I even managed to let my boyfriend cook for me, which was a major step in the right direction. Last year, I wouldn't let anyone other than myself or my mum cook for me due to a fear of food poisoning. However, even though I was terribly anxious, I actually really enjoyed my boyfriend cooking for me. It was a nice change and I'm more willing now for him to cook for me more. If you're reading this, Hi Reece!
Speaking of food, my goal of making healthier choices and exercising regularly has somewhat been successful. I've been thinking a lot more about what I am eating and making better choices when it comes to meal choices. I've started making sure I kick start my day with a healthy breakfast and I have been also trying to drink more water. One to help my skin and two to make sure I stay hydrated. I never drink enough and find I can get dehydrated quite easily which just makes you feel rubbish. Drinking more water and being more healthy in my food will easily change this. In terms of exercise, I've managed to go on one run so far this month and done a few work outs at home. I still need to up my game though to get to where I want to be. But I feel the more I do it and push myself, the better I will feel afterwards and it will become apart of my weekly routine.
Moving onto my blogging goals, so far I have and I've had a bit of a rocky ride with it recently. I've felt a bit rubbish about my blog. I have also fell out of love with blogging a bit in January. My passion for it is there. But my motivation is at a disappointing low. I've just felt bad about everything to do with my blog. The design, the layout, the template, the photographs I've produced, my content and ideas. Basically everything hasn't been sitting too well with me. I've been putting way too much pressure on myself and comparing myself to others! It's not good for me. I've been trying to take small breaks away from the blogging world. For example, I decided to take a break last week from blogging and I've been trying to not compare. At the end of the day, it's my blog and my space. It's always important to remind yourself of that and to think about why you started in the first place! It certainly wasn't to feel rubbish and to compare.
Also I've gained a few followers this month which has been so lovely and rewarding! It's always nice to get that little notification pop up telling you that you've got a new follower. I do feel like I'm a step closer now to my 100 followers goal for the end of the year. Thank you to you guys for that!
How was your January? How are your goals going so far?
About a month or so ago, I decided to finally purchase the most talked about highlighter of recent times and one that had been on my wishlist for so long. Having not heard of the theBalm before this product because it is a U.S based brand, I was pleasantly surprised to see it now stocked in Superdrug stores and over on the FeelUnique website. This means it is mega easy for any UK beauty lovers to get their hands on any products this brand has to offer!
For a product that is hyped about so much in the beauty world, there is always that challenge you experience whether or not to buy into the hype and to check out if the product is really worth it. Now having tried Mary-Lou Manizer for just over a month now, I can tell you that I was not one bit disappointed with this product and can see why it is so popularised!
This highlighter is such a gorgeous product! I feel like theBalm have worked so hard on making their products very recognisable out in the big wide world of beauty. They definitely have the whole retro/50's/vintage theme down to a tee, much like the same theme Soap & Glory go for. All their products seem to have really cute and catchy names to them, Mary-Lou Manizer is no exception with the play on words it creates, e.g Mary-Lou Manizer aka The Luminizer.
Mary-Lou Manizer is what could be described as being the most perfect golden champagne powder highlighter! It also has a slight shimmer to it which is very subtle and adds an extra glow to the face. I much prefer golden coloured highlighters as opposed to more pinky-toned ones. This highlighter would work really well on yellow-toned skins due to the yellow undertones it has. But also it looks great on those with light-medium skin tones. I have quite light skin and it suits my tone really well!
It has such amazing pigmentation, you seriously do not need a lot when using this product, because literally a lot does go such a long way. I can definitely seeing this product lasting such a long while because of this reason, which means the £17.50 price tag is so worth it! As I mentioned previously, I have had this product for just over a month and so far I haven't made any dents in the product or can see that I am about to hit pan any time soon.
I apply this down the bridge of my nose, over the tops of my cheek bones, on my brow bones, on the middle of my chin and on my cupids bow. That might sound like way too much, but personally for me it doesn't look overpowering and it just helps to give my skin a nice healthy looking glow. It really helps to brighten up my skin and not make it look as dull!
I personally think I would be lost without this highlighter. I am so glad I invested in it and it has become a part of my daily make-up routine now. I would highly recommend this to anyone who has been looking at this but hasn't made a purchase yet. It is so worth the money and I can honestly say you will not be disappointed with the outcomes of this product. theBalm have created such a stunning and high pigmented highlighter that is so worthwhile!
For a product that is hyped about so much in the beauty world, there is always that challenge you experience whether or not to buy into the hype and to check out if the product is really worth it. Now having tried Mary-Lou Manizer for just over a month now, I can tell you that I was not one bit disappointed with this product and can see why it is so popularised!
This highlighter is such a gorgeous product! I feel like theBalm have worked so hard on making their products very recognisable out in the big wide world of beauty. They definitely have the whole retro/50's/vintage theme down to a tee, much like the same theme Soap & Glory go for. All their products seem to have really cute and catchy names to them, Mary-Lou Manizer is no exception with the play on words it creates, e.g Mary-Lou Manizer aka The Luminizer.
Mary-Lou Manizer is what could be described as being the most perfect golden champagne powder highlighter! It also has a slight shimmer to it which is very subtle and adds an extra glow to the face. I much prefer golden coloured highlighters as opposed to more pinky-toned ones. This highlighter would work really well on yellow-toned skins due to the yellow undertones it has. But also it looks great on those with light-medium skin tones. I have quite light skin and it suits my tone really well!
It has such amazing pigmentation, you seriously do not need a lot when using this product, because literally a lot does go such a long way. I can definitely seeing this product lasting such a long while because of this reason, which means the £17.50 price tag is so worth it! As I mentioned previously, I have had this product for just over a month and so far I haven't made any dents in the product or can see that I am about to hit pan any time soon.
I apply this down the bridge of my nose, over the tops of my cheek bones, on my brow bones, on the middle of my chin and on my cupids bow. That might sound like way too much, but personally for me it doesn't look overpowering and it just helps to give my skin a nice healthy looking glow. It really helps to brighten up my skin and not make it look as dull!
I personally think I would be lost without this highlighter. I am so glad I invested in it and it has become a part of my daily make-up routine now. I would highly recommend this to anyone who has been looking at this but hasn't made a purchase yet. It is so worth the money and I can honestly say you will not be disappointed with the outcomes of this product. theBalm have created such a stunning and high pigmented highlighter that is so worthwhile!
What's your favourite highlighter? Have you tried Mary-Lou?
Thanks so much for reading,
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I'm always after the perfect foundation that blends easily, matches my skin tone, has great staying power and doesn't enhance any dry areas. I think I might have found that. Today I am sharing my own opinions and views on the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation. After hearing loads of great things about this product and seeing how beneficial it was for those who do suffer with dry skin, I knew I just had to try it out for myself and I wasn't disappointed!
About the product:
The main aim of this foundation is give your skin a boost of radiance with a vitamin-rich fruit therapy formula for an even complexion and an anti-fatigue result. It has a fresh and instant blending gel texture, that helps the foundation to blend and glide onto the skin for an even and natural finish with no mask effect. Imperfections are erased, signs of fatigue are smoothed and the skins radiance is boosted for up to 16 hours. It is made from vitamin-rich fruit therapy formula with litchi, goji berries and pomegranates.
There are six shades available for this foundation. I went with shade 52 Vanille which is the second lightest. I believe this matches my skin the best, it doesn't look orangey, too dark or too light for my skin which is great. I purchased mine from Boots for £10.99. You can also purchase it from Superdrug or FeelUnique. I have included a swatch of it on my skin for you to see the shade and formula!
The tools I use to apply and blend this foundation onto my face include the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge or the Real Teachniques Buffing Brush from the Core Collection. Either applicator is easy to use and blends amazingly, but I do find the sponge helps to create a more even and flawless finish.
Likes:
About the product:
The main aim of this foundation is give your skin a boost of radiance with a vitamin-rich fruit therapy formula for an even complexion and an anti-fatigue result. It has a fresh and instant blending gel texture, that helps the foundation to blend and glide onto the skin for an even and natural finish with no mask effect. Imperfections are erased, signs of fatigue are smoothed and the skins radiance is boosted for up to 16 hours. It is made from vitamin-rich fruit therapy formula with litchi, goji berries and pomegranates.
There are six shades available for this foundation. I went with shade 52 Vanille which is the second lightest. I believe this matches my skin the best, it doesn't look orangey, too dark or too light for my skin which is great. I purchased mine from Boots for £10.99. You can also purchase it from Superdrug or FeelUnique. I have included a swatch of it on my skin for you to see the shade and formula!
The tools I use to apply and blend this foundation onto my face include the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge or the Real Teachniques Buffing Brush from the Core Collection. Either applicator is easy to use and blends amazingly, but I do find the sponge helps to create a more even and flawless finish.
Likes:
- I love the texture of this foundation on my skin. It feel's light and comfortable on the skin. I don't find it to have a slippery like texture which others may find due to the 'serum' part of the foundation. However I think it feel's really good on my skin and doesn't feel heavy at all!
- It blends easily onto the skin and doesn't cling to dry areas. Dry skin is something I struggle with and I find it hard to find foundations that don't extenuate these types of areas. However I am so glad that this foundation doesn't. It doesn't highlight any of my dry skin and helps to keep my skin looking fresh and healthy!
- The overall look of this foundation creates a natural looking appearance on my skin which is great for everyday wear! It's not very matte or dewy either, it's slight in between which I also believe is a bonus.
- I absolutely love the smell of this foundation. It just smells healthy and fresh. It just smells like something you would want to apply on your face and you know it's just going to make it look/feel better.
- It has a light coverage which can be easily build able to a higher coverage if necessary and is great for those who only want a light covering for those more laid back chilled days!
- Easy applicator with the use of a bump and a good amount of product comes out which is a huge bonus!
Dislikes:
- Personally for me I was expecting more of a dewy look from this foundation. However as I mentioned before, it is more of a natural foundation rather than a dewy glowing look. I definitely believe it needs more a dewy finish to it for me to be completely sold.
- Some others may want more of a higher coverage which means this foundation might not be for you as it creates more of a light natural look. But you can easily build it up to a medium coverage if that is what you are after.
- The stay time lasts for around 5/6 hours. On more blemished areas on my face, I noticed it wearing off a lot quicker than that, but it probably depends on what primers or powders are used to help set the foundation in place.
- There's only six shades to choose from and can be an issue for those who's skin doesn't match the ones available.
Verdict:
I definitely think I will be repurchasing this product when it starts to run out. It's probably the only foundation that I have tried in the last few years which hasn't clung to any dry areas of my face and made it look 'cakey'. It is great for creating a natural, fresh and healthy look. It is easy to blend and apply to the face with a build able coverage. I think it is great for everyday wear and for more natural make-up looks.
In my opinion, I would have liked more of a dewy glow finish to the skin with this product and a longer staying time as I did notice it wearing on some parts of my skin. Also I wouldn't recommend this to those who are after higher coverage foundations, as this is definitely more suited to those who want a lighter coverage and more natural finish to the face. As well, there is not a lot of choice of shades so it might be hard for some people to find a shade to suit them perfectly!
Overall, I would definitely go back to buy this product and keep it as a necessity in my make-up collection. I am so pleased that is one of the first foundations I have tried that hasn't enhanced dry areas of my skin and hasn't made it look heavy either. It's a great natural and easy to wear foundation that helps your skin to look healthy. I would wear this foundation all year round, as it is so suited to all seasons. I would highly recommend this product to anyone, especially those with dry skin.
Have you every tried this foundation? Does this post make you want to go out and try it? Let me know!
Thanks so much for reading,
