Current Go To Makeup Look

For the past few weeks or so, I have been wearing this makeup look, or something similar pretty much everyday. I tend to go through phases where I will wear the same look over and over again until a new product changes it all. Well my new lipstick obsession was what started this look off. Deep  reds and berry tones are  constantly on my  lips in the cold weather.

My base has stayed the same as usual, with my current everyday foundation being Rimmel Lasting Finish Nude. I've been adding a touch of bronzer to warm up my face as it tends to look a bit flat during the cold weather.  For my eyes, I have been going a little bit heavier than usual. After primer, I run Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeshadow Stick in Bad Girl Bronze along the upper lash line. Then I added a deep matte brown from Sleek Storm Palette all  over the lid and blended out the edges. This is much darker than my usual everyday makeup but I have been loving the change. To finish I've been using the Revlon Lash Potion Mascara in Blackest Black to give me full and long lashes. This is the definitely my new holy grail mascara! To finish this off I've been non stop wearing my new addition to my MAC Lipstick collection and what a beauty it is.  Diva is a deep matte berry that just looks stunning whether paired with a simple cat eye or a full on smokey eye. Either way it is just beautiful and right up my street.

I can see this being my go to look for a long time as I'm loving wearing it for pretty much every occasion.

What has been your go to look recently? or do you like to switch things up a bit? 

Wintery Day By The Sea | OOTD

I love the extremely cold weather, I think there's something so fresh about it. One of my favourite things to do in the winter time, is go and spend the day on the coast. I love doing this in the summer too but nothing beats the fresh sea air in winter. 

Last week, Olly and I took a trip to Kent to visit his family. We went for the most amazing pub lunch in Deal, which has the most stunning coastline. Pretty pastel beach huts lined the pebble beach, and there was almost no one around so it really was very peaceful. I made sure that I wrapped up nice and cosy but still wanted to look as though I had made some sort of effort.  I thought that it would be nice to share with you  my Outfit Of The Day.

Basic Black Leggings: New Look

Grey Jumper: Dorothy Perkins (I couldn't find the grey one but here is the blush version)

Tartan Blanket Wrap: New Look (The one I'm wearing is now out of stock but the yellow version is still available)

Tan Leather Boots: River Island

Bag: Marc B

This is pretty munch what I've been wearing all winter because it's so cosy and warm. I also loved doing this outfit of the day, so expect to see more of them in the coming months.

What have been your winter clothing staples?

H&M Smoky Blues Palette

A couple of days ago, I shared a pretty little purple palette from H&M. On the same trip I purchased this along with it. I've been wanting to experiment with colour a little more, and although I'm definitely not short of eyeshadow palettes, I couldn't resist this.

Consisting of five eyeshadows, four blues and one very random orangey colour, I imagined that this would create a wonderfully sultry eye. During this time of year, I like to wear slightly darker eyeshadows and this seemed perfect for that. Again, just like the purples palette the packaging is fine for the price. A sturdy plastic outer with five good size pans, it's the perfect size for travel. 

Onto the eyeshadows themselves, and really I don't have much to say about them because they were quite disappointing. There is only one shade, the middle one, that was pigmented enough to use regularly. I tried to apply the rest with a damp brush but they just sort of clumped together and didn't go on very smoothly at all. They aren't unusable, but they are very difficult to work with. The shades that I've been using are the middle and the last shade, they are great for adding to the outer corner, or using as a liner. 

Overall, all is not lost with this shadow palette, but it is by no means the worst one I have ever tried. I have one more of these palettes to share with you, which has actually been a surprising favourite of mine. Have you tried anything from the makeup range at H&M?

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Sephora Face Complexion Brush

Back in the summer, on one of my trips to France, I had a mental shopping list of everything that I needed wanted to buy in Sephora. Naturally, I went a little overboard and ended up buying  quite a few thing that definitely were not on my list, but were items that I was adamant I had to have. The Sephora Face Complexion Brush was one of them, and let me tell you that it really is a little gem.

I had been on the look out for a cleansing brush for a long time, but could never quite justify some of the high prices of the ones that were on my wish list. I was also a little wary of spending that much money, just in case it did absolutely nothing at all for my skin. Luckily this was only around the 6 Euro mark, so I just chucked it in my basket. 

To incorporate this into my cleansing routine, I use my regular Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm to remove the main bulk of my makeup. After this, I apply a little of my beloved La Roche Posay Effaclar Foaming Gel to my face and start to work it into the skin with this brush. It is definitely a match made in Sephora heaven. The brush helps to easily distribute the product around my face and get into all those difficult knooks and crannys, like around the nose area. It isn't at all too abrasive on my skin, which is something that I was worried about. Once I've finished, a quick rinse and it's done. I'll deep clean this once a week with my makeup brushes and it cleans like a dream. 

I'm head over heels in love with this brush and it has become a staple in my skin care routine. You can find this on the Sephora website here.

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H&M Smoky Purples Palette

I love having a peruse of the accessories section of H&M as I think there are some real gems in there. It's probably where most of my jewellery and hair accessories come from and my wardrobe houses quite a bit of their clothing selection too. However, it's not a place I would even consider when buying makeup. I have noticed their makeup line when waiting for the tills, but I had never picked anything up.

This particular smokey palette features five shades of purple, all of which complement each other beautifully. I thought that this would make a nice alternative to a smokey eye look and would be perfect for night out makeup. It was also reduced from the regular price of £3.99 to £1, so it was definitely a bargain. I popped this in my basket along with a couple of other palettes, so keep an eye out for those on here too. 

The formula of these is ok. I suppose for the price you can't really complain as there are some well pigmented and wearable shades. The first three shades applied lovely and lasted well, but the the last two shades were dry and chalky, making them hard to apply and blend. So far, the first two shades have been my most worn shades, as they are perfect for a quick and easy everyday look. Packaging wise, the clear lid makes it extremely easy to find in my collection, and it feels sturdy enough to travel with, so definitely no complaints there. 

Overall, I like this but I don't love it. I picked up two more, which I'll be featuring soon. Have you got anything from the H&M makeup range? Any recommendations?

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Lush Sakura Bath Bomb

There's something so lovely about going into Lush and picking up a couple of bath time treats. Knowing that whatever I use in the bath, it's going to be so relaxing, is a thought that regularly gets me through the day. On my last visit to my nearest store, I made sure that along with a few firm favourites, I picked up some product that I hadn't yet tried.

Sakura bath bomb instantly caught my eye and so I popped it straight in my basket. It looks exactly like the giant gobstoppers that were popular when I was a kid. Pale pink in colour with a speckled blue outer, it definitely is aesthetically pleasing. This bath bomb shares it's scent with Rub Rub Rub shower scrub, which is also a favourite product of mine so this was definitely going to be a winner for me. The main scent is very citrusy which filled my bathroom and lingered on my skin for a good few hours. 

Other than the scent there was no change to my bath water, it was just a touch more cloudy than usual. I was a little bit disappointed because the bright pink and blue speckles looked like they would add a bit of fun to the tub. My skin felt a little softer after using this but not as much as other bath bombs from Lush, so a little moisturiser was a must after this.

I'm not too sure that I would repurchase this as I think that there are much nicer products from Lush. You can purchase this here from their website, or from a Lush Store for £3.35.

The Popular in 2014 Post

Well hello there 2015, how quickly you came around. As I wake up this morning with tired eyes and a sore head, I thought it would be nice to reflect on 2014. The past year wasn't my best blogging year, there were some months when I didn't post at all, simply because my heart wasn't in it. However, I'm firmly back in the swing of things and can't wait for this years antics. Without further ado, here are my five most popular posts from 2014...

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel

This was one of my most favourite buys of 2014 and it has been a game changer. I wasn't surprised that this was in my most popular posts, as us beauty bloggers tend to go wild for French pharmacy product.

A Weekend In Amsterdam

Back in April I was lucky enough to go for a weekend in Amsterdam*, thanks to my Fiances job. Amsterdam is one of my most favourite destinations and I know I'll be going back for a third time sometime in the future. Travel is a huge hobby of mine, so I loved writing this post.

Makeup Revolution Make Believe Palette

Every single post about Makeup Revolution has been huge in the past year. They really have taken the beauty world by storm and have quickly become one of my favourite brands. This palette was one of the first products I had from them, and it's still a firm favourite today. If you haven't tried MR yet there are a ton of products for everyone and they're so purse friendly.

Battle of the Base: Foundation Edition

At the beginning of the year, I had a rummage through my stash and found that I had quite a few foundations. I realised that I used these all for different reasons, some being full coverage, some being natural and others being slightly different shades for summer. I decided to put them all to the test and figure out which I used the most. It was quite fun doing this post and I think Ill definitely be doing more.

Makeup Revolution I Heart Makeup Goddess of Love Highlighter

My most popular post in 2014 was for this little beauty. I'm really not surprised that this was the one that everyone loved the most. As a highlighter fiend, I added this to my collection with no hesitation and it seems that you all loved it just as much too.

So those were my most popular posts of the last year. I just want to thank you all for your continued support and I look forward to continue being a part of this lovely community.

I hope that you all had a wonderful night last, and wish you all a very Happy New Year!

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