Everyday Makeup Staples

Tried & Tested // H&M Beauty

New in for Autumn 2015 is H&M's gorgeous new beauty line, like most people I had never taken the time to check out their make-up line just because it had never looked appealing to me. However, after seeing shots of their fabulous new packaging and hearing of the supposedly better formula I just had to pick some up for myself to try!

First of all I picked up a small make-up bag,
1. Because I was struggling to hold all the bit and bobs I'd picked up
2. Because I thought it would look perfect/ be handy to have in my university bag
I absolutely love it! Its so classic and minimal, and also I can see all my lovely pieces inside.

First off is eyes; One of the products I was most excited about was the eyeshadow palettes, the 'Smoky Nudes Palette' had sold out online so when I went into store I was so excited to see it stocked on the shelves. This palette is a blend of browns, pinks and a little bit of gold and comes with both shimmer and matte eyeshadow; perfect for multiple looks! In terms of consistency I felt the lighter shades didn't really pack a punch and we're hardly visible unlike the darker colours however when applied with a slightly damp brush or primer this pay off issue quickly resolved itself with some beautiful bold shades. I also love the fact the palettes come with a little 'how-to' leaflet which shows you three looks ready made to try out. Overall a gorgeous palette with a wide range of shades and looks to try.

However the New High Colour Impact Eyeshadows won in terms of both pigmentation and pay off, with only one application resulting in a strong gorgeous wash of colour. I picked up the shades 'Sharp as Mustard' (a warm/golden green shadow - actually my favourite out of the three), 'Ginger Snap' (a golden orangey bronze shade - very similar to M.A.C's Amber Lights) and 'Sahara Dawn' (a beautiful burgundy colour - a brilliant dupe for M.A.C's Cranberry). H&M have a great colour selection and supposedly are made in the same factory as M.A.C products so it doesn't surprise me that several of their single eyeshadows are excellent dupes for M.A.C. I also picked up a cream eyeshadow in 'Sirocco', i've mainly been using it as a brown eyeliner however a wash of this shadow over your eye would create a perfect dark eye unfortunately I haven't had occasion to use it yet.

I have quite a love hate relationship with painting my nails however there was such a wide selection of nail polishes I had to try some out! I picked up 'Science Fiction' (a beautiful aquamarine mix of deep blue and green's) and 'Precious' (a pure gold colour). I quite like the brush for a nail varnish as it fits nicely to the nail (less likelihood of painting the whole of your finger too) and the varnishes only need roughly 1 -2 applications for a nice strong colour. However you can still tell they are only £3.99, they are good for drugstore quality but they are clearly still drugstore products so I wasn't expecting them to be my new favourite nail varnishes. I also picked up a Quick Dry Nail Spray (mainly out of curiosity) which it does exactly what it says on the tin. My nails dried incredibly quickly but it did leave a matte effect of my nails which I wasn't fond of as it made my nails texturised and not glossy how I like them.

Last but not least are lip products! I picked up a cream lipstick in 'Ember Glow' (a warm autumnal red) and a lip crayon in 'When in Rome' (a dark nude colour). Both products are high in consistency but my favourite is definitely 'When in Rome' as its so easy to pop in my bag and as a lip crayon it both moisturises and adds colour to my lips. 

(Smokey Nudes Palette:- R - L /Bottom - Middle - Top)

(Top-Bottom / Sharp as Mustard - Ginger Snap - Sahara Dawn - Sirocco - Fairytale - Ember Glow - When in Rome)

So that's it for my first impressions of the new H&M Beauty, let me know if you have tried any of their new range!

Bloggers Love Fashion Week #BLFW

Previously I had heard about the Bloggers Love event's but had never managed to go to one, luckily I popped it into my calendar last year so I could remember to book a place this year!

Blogger's Hangout (Previously Blogger's Love) are a company based on bringing blogger's and brand's together for new opportunities. The dress code for the event was Black Chic but unfortunately I have nothing purely black in my wardobe so I opted for this Black and White Dogstooth Dress from Primark with Joe Browns Ankle Boots and a Green Hat from Asos.

When I first arrived at Waterloo station I tried to find the people I had been messaging on Twitter but to no avail, instead I occupied my time playing "Spot the Blogger" (ie. who's wearing black). Whilst playing the game I met Katrina who was also waiting for other bloggers, Ana and her friends.
We all headed off to the OXO Tower in London to be greeted with a room full of bloggers and brands.

First up was the brand With Love Lilly, featuring a mother and daughter power duo focused on bringing girls unique and handmade intimates which make them feel Confident, Free and Sexy.
One of the things I love about this brand is its ethos and how they want their beautiful lingerie to empower girls, and let's face it with the media nowadays a lot of girls are not as body confident as they should be myself included. I also noticed whilst scrolling through their site that their bra's go up to a 34 DD/E which I expected as most delicate lacy bra's are more suited to a smaller bust however they have inserted a "Custom" option where you can give them your size details and they'll make the product tailor made for you. If only I was small enough to not need an underwire....sigh.
Here are some of my favourites:
 Champagne Blush Bralette | Luna Bralette | Ariel Bralette | Nina Bralette

One of my many favourites of the day was MaisonVes, a company that sells luxury hashtag candles! With themed printed hashtags around the candles base, this makes them ideal gifts for special occasions such as Birthdays, Engagements, Weddings or even as a simple Thank You.  As candles go they look clean, modern and "totally instagrammable" (is that even a word?). My favourite is the #BFF Candle with a Cassis, Apricot, Fig and Cherry Blossom scent..yum! Which includes the following hashtags, #BFF #BESTIE #PARTNERINCRIME #FRIENDSFOREVER #GIRLS #MEMORIESFORLIFE #YOUMEANTHEWORLDTOME #XOXO.

A brand i'd researched quite a bit before the event was Little Ondine, this nail varnish  promises to be odour free, quick drying and easy to peel off (instead of using acetone) so I thought I would investigate. I was pleased to find that all of this and more was true! Little Ondine uses natural ingredients in it's varnishes so your nail-beds remain undamaged by chemicals, this is also to give your nails a smooth and hydrating finish. Take one of their twins sets in your handbag to either refresh or change your colour on the go without worrying about stinking out the room thanks to their odour free formula. These are the elements of varnish that put me off painting my nails more often (mainly because its more trouble than its worth) but after trying some out at the event, I might have to buy some for myself! My favourite colours of the moment are:
Ripple | Admiration | Afternoon Tea | HoneyMoon

Motel Rocks was next with their new Autumn/Winter Collection which looked absolutely stunning. We were asked to pick out our favourite piece and mine was this gorgeous turtle neck black sequinned dress pictured below, perfect for a winter evening event! They were also lovely enough to give me a gift bag filled with lots of goodies which will be at the end of the post. Here are some of my favourite picks from their site:

Suede Winnie Dress | Gabby Sequin Dress | Paulo Jumpsuit | Deena Dress

Fleur of England was a brand I had never heard of till this event, and I must say I am in love with their lingerie! A luxurious brand which prides themselves on being purely British, Fleur of England is designed by women for women. They also have a handy "Gentlemen's guide" which makes the process of buying lingerie for your partner that much easier. The brand styles up to a 36DD which again unfortunately is too small for my bust, maybe a diet might be in order to fit into these beautiful bra's.
My favourites are:
After Dark Balcony Bra | After Dark Playsuit | Scarlet Boudoir Bra

Paul & Joe is possibly one of my favourite brands ever despite not owning a single item from the beauty brand. Apart from it's amazing quality Paul & Joe is best known for its emphasis on packaging which was something I noticed when I first started looking at the brand (They had a beautiful Alice in Wonderland collection a few years ago and I was hooked from then on). This year they have wowed yet again with their AW15 collection featuring many a cat print, as you can see from the images below there are individual cream eye colours, cream and powder blushes, waterproof eyeliner, balms and my favourite of all lipsticks which feature a "chat de cafe that reappears with every application" in the centre of each lipstick. You may have also noticed the makeup bag sitting in the first image which comes with a few of the collections products as-well as eyeshadow slips which can be opened and sealed (so it doesn't go all over your bag) and each can be used about 15 times. Perfect for a christmas gift or if you don't want to lug an eyeshadow palette on holiday with you.

I had lovely time at the event meeting lots of new bloggers and brands, and I for one can't wait till next year! I brought home two goodie bags filled with items that I thought i'd show you. Thank-you to all the brands who worked at the event and gifted me lots of lovely items, and thank-you for Bloggers Hangout for putting on a great event!

Tried & Tested // Tanya Burr Cosmetics *re-release*

On 20th august 2015 Tanya Burr re-released her cosmetics line with a lovely new gold packaging. All the products are the same but with a few changes to the smell and consistency. A few new products were added including three eye palettes, a brow palette and the nail colour duvet day. As I already own the majority of lip glosses I instead decided to try the Hollywood eye palette and Duvet Day nail varnish. First I'll start with the eye palette, I chose Hollywood due it's lovely gold/brown shades (perfect for any eye) my favourite shadow out of the palette being Enchantment. When it came to applying the product I found a lot of product came off on my brush (causing me to tap out a lot of excess) so I would say for the couple of first timers to makeup who bought this palette, use your fingers! (You're much less likely to get excess product and then fallout under your eyes after applying. You can get several looks from this palette, a cream eye, a light gold eye, a bronzed smoky eye the list goes on. For anyone starting out with makeup this is the perfect palette to have in your collection. I've done a small tutorial on YouTube so check that out too!

As for the nail varnish,  I was really disappointed by this product. I am in love with the colour as it's a neutral grey with a slight blue tinge. However when I tried to apply the product I struggled to get a clean, glossy finish. Thinking this problem may just be down to my horrific nail painting abilities I asked my mother (a professional beauty therapist) to repaint them, however we still got the same uneven result. To get an "okay" finish I would suggest 3/4 coats though I felt this nail polish was just a cheap 25p formula with a Tanya Burr label slapped on the front.

So a mixed review today! Let me know what your experiences are with the Tanya Burr cosmetics line down below! 

Summer Glow Makeup Tutorial

As it's getting towards end of july and the start of august I thought I would do a type of post that I haven't done in a VERY long time...a makeup tutorial!

For this tutorial I have gone for a bronzed summer glow look which hopefully you readers will be able to try it out yourself, obviously I am no makeup artist nor have I been trained in makeup so please don't expect perfection (especially when it comes to eyeliner!). These are just my favourite products to use for this look however feel free to use what you already have in your makeup bags (unless you want a near completely identical look then by all means go on a shopping spree!)

June Monthly Favourites

As were heading towards the heat of summer (not sure if the UK weather has caught onto that yet) I thought id pop together some products Ive been loving this month!

Monthly Favourites

March is just around the corner and I for one cannot wait! February for me was a month of assessments and deadlines and Im so glad to just be able to relax and blog again for one! 

I noticed on my blog I have never done a "Monthly Favourites" so I thought I'd make a start as I love reading "Monthly Favourites" posts myself, if you follow me on Bloglovin' you'll see this from my Saved Posts! I also wanted to let you guys know I am hosting a giveaway HERE for a M.A.C Lipstick of your choice as well as a few of my favourite LUSH goodies so make sure you enter!

Anyway onto the favourites:

Fifty Shades of Grey Soundtrack

Music wise I've really been enjoying the Fifty Shades of Grey Soundtrack. Im too much of a wimp to go see the film (I still feel cringey watching intimate scenes on the tv let alone a red sex room) and some of the tracks are so addictive, my favourite being
 "Love Me Like You Do" by Ellie Goulding and Beyonce's Crazy in Love Remix.

Topshop Cream Blush in Flush
I've recently started getting into cream blushes as it's coming up to spring (where natural looking makeup takes over) and have heard rave reviews about the one's from Topshop. I picked up one in Flush which is a lovely peachy/orange shade and I wear it almost everyday.

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish
I've tried Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish once of twice before and whenever I have used this hot cloth cleanser I have found my face to feel a lot more fresh and nourished rather than stripped and dry. That's why i've been using it this last month to improve my skin, and it will be one product I will be repurchasing as soon as possible.

Smashbox Studio Skin in 1.2
I haven't yet gotten the full foundation however I've managed to get quite a lot of use out of a sample I was given recently, and when I apply it my skin looks airbrushed! It is a little bit full and matte for daily use but for when I have those spotty days (a regularity recently) or a night out it's absolutely perfect. I really want to try their new photo filter powder foundation so will probably compare the two at a later date.

Love Tanya

I haven't had much chance to take the time to really go through and try all the recipes and tips yet, however from a first impression (procrastinated reading during assessment) it's a good all over book. Yes, of course it has the typical "First Date Tips" etc made for younger readers but even these sections aren't patronising as they can be in other books. I especially like her sections on confidence and happiness and the "fill it in yourself" bits pages after each chapter.

Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick in Plum Jam

After last month becoming obsessed with Soap and Glory's Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick in Nudist I knew I had to buy another. I ended up choosing Plum Jam which is more of a dark vampy looking lip however being a gloss stick it comes out as a moisturising rosy colour (your lips but healthier looking!). Its my go-to lip product now for spring.

M.A.C Lipstick and LUSH GIVEAWAY

Recently I just hit 200 followers on Bloglovin! Even though this maybe quite little to most it is still a lot to me and I wanted to celebrate it with a giveaway to thank all all my followers for well...following me!

I personally love giveaways (even though I never win) so I thought it would be a good idea to host my own once I got to 200 followers. The details are listed below, make as many entries as you like and enjoy!

Just enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

How Much Is My Face Worth?: ALICE

As you may have noticed I haven't posted in over a month, this is firstly down to the volume university work I have to do for assessment but also down to major writing block. I have about 60 post's I want to write but the writing just isn't coming, so I gave myself a little break and read dozens of 365 things to write about posts. So after a month of silence I present to you my new series of posts called "How much is my face worth?".

First up is Alice.

Both Myself and Alice are on the BA Fine Art course at Norwich University of the Arts and she was also one of the first people I met and befriended on the first day. Apart from having an Audrey Hepburn obsession, Alice is also interested in Fashion, Interior design and Beauty, an interest that we  both share. I asked Alice to be my first "How much is your face worth" because apart from being a friend, her skincare/face makeup routine is quite detailed and focuses on treatment of problem skin 

(a problem many of us young adults suffer with). 

All of her everyday products are listed and linked down below.

Dr Organic Rose Otto Day Cream - £9.79

Clinique Superprimer Universal Face Primer- £20

Bare Minerals Face Powder in Medium Beige - £25

Benefit "Hello Flawless" Face Powder in Honey - £25.50

Urban Decay Ink For Eyes - £15.50

YSL False Lash Mascara - £25

Benefit Brow Zing in Medium - £24.50

Palmers Chapstick - £1.99

= £147.28

If you would like to see more posts like this one, tell me in the comments below!

Anna

Soap & Glory: Thick and Fast Mascara

(Photo Source)

I've heard a lot of bad reviews about this mascara however for me it is my new favourite. The brush itself is rather big promoting larger lashes, the mascara is also build able meaning you can choose to apply one coat for a natural lash or several for a more volumlised lash. 

The only down-side to this lash is that the lashes remain rather flat, best way to combat this though is to either keep adding layers or to use an eyelash curler.

Really loving this product and it has now been added to my everyday products basket.

Anna 
xoxo

The Body Shop Event

Recently I was lucky enough to be invited to The Body Shop event in partnership with Rakuten Marketing, this was one event is really hoping to be invited to as I am in love with The Body Shop! As per usual I arrived an hour early (as they say the early bird catches the worm) to the Grace Bar just off of Piccadilly Circus, thankfully there were some other early birds out there as I sat and exchanged blog urls with Abbigayle and Pippi. As the event began we were handed our exciting goodie bags and let wild on all the new releases.

First up were the Body Sorbets which have been released already this summer in Body Shop stores. They boast a new lightweight texture experience with 24 hour moisture, so perfect for summer when you don't want to feel sticky all day in the sun. They come in 5 different scents (Mango, Satsuma, Moringa, Strawberry and Pink Grapefruit) that will make you want to eat it right off your own body. My own favourite is pink grapefruit.

Next was the New Wild Argan Oils Collection, which has only just been released in stores. Argan Oil has become increasingly popular recently in the beauty industry however I've never really gotten into the fad, mainly because my skin type is oily and my common-sense says oily skin + oil is never a good idea. The collection includes Body Butter, The Radiant Oil, Bubbling Bath, Rough Scrub, Body Lotion, Shower Gel, Miracle Solid Oil and Solid Oil Balm. After trying out their Radiant Oil Spray it felt initially oily however after a few minutes my skin felt moisturised, soft and I was glowing like Beyonce! FleurdeForce recently went to Morocco to see the development and beginnings of the new collection; check out her video here. 

At the start I didn't believe the Drops of Youth collection was made for my age group, mainly because products with the word "youth" in their name automatically make me think of anti-ageing and wrinkles. However I was pleasantly surprised by the Drops of Youth eye concentrate that I found in my goodie bag. Using Edelweiss stem cells it refreshes your under eyes, making you look and feel more awake. I also find it hard to get up in the morning (normally taking well over an hour to get ready due to feeling sluggish) but adding this into my daily morning routine cuts that in half, just because I feel more awake! P.S. If you have sensitive or irritated skin around your eyes(due to scratching or rubbing) this product is brilliant for soothing and calming those areas.

Finally The Body Shop Colour Crush Nails have arrived! They've started off strong by coming out with 24 gorgeous shades and they only cost £5...bargain. Body Shop claims that their polishes "don't yellow nails" and that they're "chip-resistant", but I wanted to test these out for myself so whilst I was at the event I gave myself one coat of a pastel pink colour (still hating myself for not catching the name). Now I know because I did not apply a base coat, a top coat and a few more coats of the actual nail varnish, I wouldn't of seen the best of the varnish however with only one coat it managed to stay pretty on my nails for a week! (virtually impossible for an artist)

Thank you to The Body Shop and Rakuten Marketing for putting on such a fabulous event! I met lots of new bloggers as-well so go check out their blogs below:

Tricia from ThreadandMirror.com

Abbigayle from StealStylist

Lynne from Populairelife

Yolanda from YolandaasY

Freya from Freydefleur

Angelique from Angelique-ald

Dovile from Diaryofamodernsocialite

The Team from Studentmoneysaver.co.uk

Whats your favourite product from the new collections?

Tell me down in the comments below!

Anna

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