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8.31.2013

Kate Moss for Rimmel Lipstick 107

 
Kate Moss for Rimmel Lipstick 107
First of all I would like to apologise for not posting in almost a week! I have been so busy lately doing my work experience that when I come home I am too exhausted to do anything! I think the heat plays apart in my tiredness, anyone else find the sun really knocks it out of you? I have finished work experience and I break up from school on Tuesday (YES!!!) so I will be able to post a bit more regularly. 

I purchased this lipstick from ASOS a few days ago. I know you're all thinking "It's summer! Why on earth are you buying dark lipsticks?!" Well, whilst everyone is getting the bright, coral lipsticks out, I thought I'd go for something a bit different. I'm not much of a fan of bright lipsticks; in all honesty I don't think I'm brave enough. Having braces also makes me feel a bit self concious as wearing bright lip colours often draws attention to my mouth/teeth which isn't something I really want. It isn't just that though, I find some corals can make my braces and teeth look an odd colour so I tend to steer away from them. With all of this in mind, I took a while debating whether to buy a bright lipstick and probably end up hating it or buy a dark lipstick and be able to change up the colour intensity more. As you can see I went for a darker lipstick which comes in the form of the Kate Moss for Rimmel Lipstick in 107.


8.29.2013

Favourite Contouring Brushes ft. Eco Tools, Real Techniques, MAC

Eco Tools Contouring Brush (part of set)
Real Techniques Contour Brush (part of Core Collection)
Unbranded Angled Contour Brush* (part of set)
MAC 168 brush 

ECO TOOLS CONTOURING BRUSH - TK Maxx (available here)
I bought this brush in a 4 piece brush set from TK Maxx a while ago, and shared the 4 brushes with my friend because we both wanted them but there was only one pack. It was around £7ish but online it's £17.44, so I'd definitely check out your local TK Maxx if you're looking into buying it! This is essentially just a fat version of the Contour Brush from Real Techniques. It adds more product that the RT version so it easy to go a bit overboard but blends it out so seamlessly and looks so subtle and natural. 

REAL TECHNIQUES CONTOURING BRUSH - Boots
Part of the Core Collection, the Contour Brush from Real Techniques is amazing at creating an accurate contour. It is quite dense so it can also pick up a bit too much product (especially with the Sleek Contour Kit) but you just have to have a light hand! That being said, I find this the best brush for using with my Bourjois Chocolate Bronzer because for me that has barely any colour pay off, but with this brush it picks up a good amount! The Core Collection is quite pricey at £20.99 but you also get 3 other great quality brushes! I have a post here all about them!

UNBRANDED ANGLED CONTOUR BRUSH - BangGood
Again, this is just the fat and more dense version of the next brush, the MAC 168. This is also part of a 4 piece brush set from BangGood which I have also done a post on here. This brush is a real multi-tasker, it's great for buffing in foundation and any type of cream product. The angled edge makes it easy to get right under my (non existent) cheek bones and the denseness (is that a word? If not, it is now) really helps to create a strong contour, whilst still buffing it out making it appear seamless.

MAC 168 BRUSH - Selfridges
This brush is a little pricey at almost £30 but it is definitely my favourite brush that I own! It's so delicate and places just the right amount of product on your face. This is definitely one for people, like me, who sometimes forget how much of a light hand they might need! Although mine is dirty, the hairs wash really well and come out white. This is also a multi-tasker for powder products, I use it with my face powder, blush, contour! I really want to find a dupe for this brush as it is so beautiful but pretty pricey!

What are your favourite contour brushes?

Olivia


*pr sample
8.26.2013

Most Reached For #1: Base Products

MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation / Collection Illuminating Touch Concealer / Veil Finishing Powder*
MAC STUDIO FIX FLUID FOUNDATION - Debenhams
When I first bought this foundation back in June I was a bit unsure of it, the shade (NC15) for me is a bit off and this often stuck to some of my dry patches which is not a good look! I recently got a dupe beauty blender (which should really be included in this post seeing as though i've used it almost everyday!) which works a treat with this foundation! It doesn't stick to any dry patches nor does it cake up. The shade is still a bit off but looks okay if blended down my neck, or if I've got fake tan on. I'd say this foundation is about medium coverage as it doesn't cover everything I'd like it to, but I suppose that's what concealer is for. The finish of this foundation is quite matt, but doesn't look too flat on my skin. With the recent hot weather I have been favouring matt finishes so I don't look an absolute glitter ball ;)

COLLECTION ILLUMINATING TOUCH CONCEALER - Boots
I know the majority of bloggers love the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer but it can be quite drying, especially under the eyes, which is where the Illuminating Touch Concealer comes in; it's peachy-pink tone helps to cover and neutralise dark circles and bags. The coverage may not match up to the Lasting Perfection Concealer, but I like this one more for certain areas. As for the illuminating bit, it isn't too over the top it just lifts the eyes a bit - perfect for when I go back to school because I always look tired no matter how early I go to sleep the night before! 

VEIL FINISHING POWDER - veilcovercream.com
I got this in a little sample pack from the FABB Bloggers event in Manchester back in July and hadn't used it until my Rimmel Stay Matte powder smashed, along with the packaging, just before I was going on holiday so I took this one with me instead. I really like this powder because it adds a tiny bit of coverage and also keeps shine at bay. I have used this on it's own on good skin days and it looks really nice too! I have the shade 'dusk' which I think is the only shade, but there is a translucent shade too. You can get little sample packs for £6.50 and then if you order something you get the £6.50 off your order which is really handy because I think you can only get this online. I know it may be a bit too soon to say this, but I think this could be a holy grail product!

Olivia


*pr sample
8.23.2013

Weekly(ish) Round Up #1: Kent, GCSE Results

Hello guys!

I hope you're all well and ready for the bank holiday weekend, hopefully the weather will be nice and the sun will make an appearance, a rare occasion in Manchester. I'm sorry for the lack of posts recently, I went on holiday last Thursday and forgot to schedule any posts, but I will be posting a lot more regularly from now on!

Although I haven't done all of my exams yet, I did my Spanish GCSE a year early and I picked the results up earlier today and got an A*!! I am so pleased (and extremely relieved), and as far as I know, the whole class has done well!

As I said, last Thursday I went on holiday to Kent with my mum and my sister. We stayed with my Grandma in Hythe and then spent a couple of days with my dad who lives in Ashford. Every time we go down there we always have such a good time and do so many cool things! Every summer we have to go in the sea, it has almost become a sort of tradition, my Uncle Colin also has a canoe so we go in that too if the sea isn't too choppy and rough! Probably the majority of my family live in Kent, so we often get to see a lot of relatives which is really nice! We got to see my cousin Sarah and her baby boy, Rocco, he is only 1 and so cute! Another thing I love about going to Hythe is that we always have really nice food, my Aunty Jane is amazing at cooking so we always have a massive feast at some point too, often more than one! We also went to see an Elvis Presley tribute act on Hythe Military Canal which was quite funny and good entertainment seeing as though it was free! Whilst staying with my Dad, Sue and my little sister Beth in Ashford, we went roller skating (I was the one that fell over, obviously!), we visited Herne Bay which is a real touristy sea side town, we went to American Diner where I felt like Lana Del Rey and we also went to the White Horse in Bislington to celebrate my sister's A Levels (A* A A), my meal was huge and I felt as though I could barely walk after!

I will include some photos from my holiday to show how much fun we had and also no one likes a post with no pictures! ;)

Elvis Presley tribute act
Rocco
my sister and I in the sea!

Hanging off the boat as Uncle Colin rows away
in the sea.. I promise I'm not drowning

blue sky (plus a few clouds)

my mum with her windmill haha
Olivia


8.12.2013

Bang Good Haul





Blush Palette - £4.82*
Eye/Lip Liners - £3.31*
24pc Brush Set - £10.81*
All from BangGood.com

Hello everyone! Today I have a small haul for you consisting only of products from BangGood.com. If you haven't heard of BangGood.com it is a wholesalers website based in China. I did a post on them back in July (here) and I absolutely loved the products, so when they got in touch with me again and asked if I'd like to try out some more, I was over the moon!

The first thing I received is this Blush Palette with 10 blush shades in it. When it first arrived I was worried that it might have smashed in transit but luckily it hadn't! The packaging is very sleek but also sturdy which is a bonus as it doesn't feel cheap, despite being unbranded and only £4.82! The blushes themselves are really good quality and there is a range of different colours in the palette; from oranges to baby pinks to fuchsias. The picture doesn't quite give the shades justice as it's not picking up the vibrancy of some of the colours! The majority of the shades are shimmery but there are a couple of matte shades, both kinds are so pigmented and you have to have a very light hand when applying (I learnt this the hard way). I'm not really a blush kinda girl but I've really been loving all the colours in this Blush Palette recently. If you want to experiment with blusher, like me, then this Palette would be great as it doesn't break the bank and has a wide range of colours to use. 

The next thing I received is a set of Eye & Lip Liner Pencils. They are from the brand Me Now which I've never heard of before but if the quality of their liners is anything to go by, I think I shall like them! I don't own many lip liners so this product is great for me! There is such a range of different colours within the pack. I would say there are more lip liners than eye liners because in the pack of 12 there is a black and a brown and the rest are pinky/red/orangey type shades which I would be more inclined to use on my lips rather than my eyes. The Liners are so creamy and very pigmented. I would recommend putting a balm on underneath the lip liner so it blends a bit better. My only concern about these are that the colours on the end of the pencil are a bit deceiving; I thought a dark red was a black but I got quite the shock when it came out quite bright on my eye lid! Now that I am more familiar with the colours, this hasn't happened since! This pack of 12 Eye/Lip Liners retails for £3.31 which is less than 28p per pencil! 

The final, and probably my favourite thing that I received is this 24 pc Brush Set. It comes with a pink, leather look brush wrap/holder and as you can see the brushes are individually wrapped in plastic so that they didn't get damaged whilst being delivered. All the brushes are synthetic and have a cute pink handle and pink hairs. I'm not a massive fan of pink but I do like a bit here. If pink isn't for you then they have ones with black or brown handles/hairs. All the brushes haven't been shown in the pictures, but my favourite one (not pictured) is a mini version of the big fan brush; it's not very dense so it never puts too much product on to your face! The 24pc Brush Set is £10.81, which is amazing value per brush.


Overall, I am very pleased with these products! I would definitely recommend BangGood.com if you ever looking to buy.. er.. anything really; their stock varies from gardening to electronics to clothes! Despite being based in China, the shipping is free and mine arrived within a week!


Have you tried anything from BangGood.com?

Olivia



*pr sample
8.07.2013

Formby Beach, Liverpool

obligatory train pic
the next station is Formby
after climbing a massive hill/sand dune we could finally see the sea
the beach

It has been pretty good weather recently, despite some thunder storms, so my friends and I decided to book tickets to go to Liverpool to visit Formby. I'd been there before with my family a while ago so I knew it was such a nice town with a beach that was usually packed on a hot summers day. We got the train, and because we had to book the tickets in advance, we had to guess which day had the best weather, let's just say that we picked the wrong day. It was chucking it down in the morning in Manchester and all whilst we were on the train and in Formby (despite BBC weather saying the complete opposite a week ago..) Nevertheless we still got into our bikinis and went in the sea, which we had all to ourselves. It was absolutely freezing and we probably looked like complete weirdos, but it was soo funny! We actually stayed in the sea for quite a while despite the awful weather, we only got out when we saw a load of jellyfishes! After we dried ourselves off we walked back to the train station and got the train back to Liverpool Central where we had a little wander around all the shops and had something to eat. Then after a bit we got the train back home. Although it wasn't quite the day we thought it would be, it still turned out pretty fun and I had a good time!

What have you been up to recently?

Olivia