November Favorites

My favorites this month are quite boring, sadly. It's a lot of things that have been in my favorites in the past. My everyday look has typically been a neutral eye, a bit of mascara and eyeliner, a bit of pink blush, and a pink lip. I find that it's a look that is most flattering on me, and I enjoy it quite a bit! Also, a lot of times I've been getting distracted and needing to rush to do my makeup, so I'll skip lipstick or something. I've been trying to experiment with more of my makeup, but alas, these are the things I've used the most and gone back to again and again. Anyways, here are the products I've been using this month!

Eyes:

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Zero, 17 Wild Curls Mascara in Wildest Black, and Urban Decay Naked Palette.

I absolutely love using sin on my lid and virgin as a highlight, I just feel like it brightens my eyes immensely! Boring but true, hehe. The 24/7 liner is one of the best eyeliners I've come across. It lasts ages on the waterline, is creamy and I love it. I'm sad it's almost out, because I'm not looking forward to shelling out the cash for a full size. Anyone have any good recommendations for a cheaper one?

Swatches:

I was using this loads more at the beginning of the month, but then the comb started to annoy me and felt too big, so I went back to using my Maybelline mascaras. So maybe it shouldn't be in here? Haha, nah, it did make my lashes look lovely, but it got to the point where it just felt too big for my eyes and was catching on my other lashes and making me go OW! Haha.

Lips:

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Pink Blush:

When I did wear lipstick, this was the lipstick I was constantly wearing. It's GORGEOUS. I really do love it.

NYX Mega Shine Lipgloss in Salsa:

At the end of the month I started layering this over the Rimmel lipstick and absolutely loved them together. I haven't given this lip gloss enough use, which is crazy, since all I usually wear is pink lipsticks and this goes perfectly with them!

Swatches:

Vaseline Lip Therapy with Cocoa Butter:

YES, again. I've been applying this just about every day, and when I couldn't be bothered with lipstick, I just wore this. Feels lovely on the lips. My poor boyfriend was even using it for a bit, when his lips became quite chapped.

Face:

No.7 Natural Blush in Candy Pink and e.l.f Studio Blusher in Gotta Glow

I think the No.7 blush might be my favorite blush. It goes so well with a neutral eye and pink lip. And it's nice and matte.

Last month I had gotten lazy with highlighting, but this month I've been using the e.l.f one quite a bit. I feel it brightens up the look just that lil bit more!

Swatches:

What are your favorites for the month? Any of the ones I mentioned? Hope everyone is enjoying the snow. London finally got some, but not much, and it doesn't seem to be sticking! Ah well.

Lush Christmas Kisses Bubble Bar Review

Christmas Kisses Bubble Bar: 2.80 pounds

What they say: "Put the heat back into your kisses, whip up a frenzy of foam with your spicy Bubble Bar. The scents of lime and sweet wild oranges instantly uplift, and the zingy aroma cinnamon leaf and clove leaf oils will wrap you in a warm embrace. When you feel left out in the cold, spice things up with some Christmas Kisses."

First of all, I have to say I love the scent of this product. The main scent I get off of it is cinnamon, which definitely makes you feel nice and warm in the bath. Sadly, I crumbled mine up and put it in AFTER the bath had filled up. Whereas afterwards I looked up what everyone else does (a bit late eh?) and it turns out you're meant to crumble it up under the hot tap while the bath is filling up. Ah dur. I used the whole bar, but perhaps I could of gotten away with using half. It turned the bath BRIGHT red, which I thought was really fun and festive. The scent definitely sticks to your skin and I couldn't stop smelling myself afterwards.

The water!:

This product definitely gets a big thumbs up from me! Sadly I couldn't stay in the bath as long as I wanted (we'd used up a lot of hot water that day and didn't have much left, so the bath got cold rather quickly), but I do recommend this to anyone who loves the warm spicy scent of cinnamon!

Has anyone used this one before? What was your experience like? AND what's your favorite Lush product?

My M.A.C Virginity...has been broken!

Hey ladies! My first ever MAC purchase came the other day. I only picked up a lipstick and a concealer. Ohhh how I lusted after more, but I figured I should be reasonable, seeing as it's almost Christmas. :D

I picked up the Studio Finish Concealer in NW15 and a lipstick in Shy Girl. It also came with a free sample of the eye makeup remover which I'm excited to try!

Studio Finish Concealer in NW15:

Seeing as my beloved No7 concealer is basically gone, I decided to try out one from M.A.C! While I find the No7 concealer to be amazing, it doesn't always cover my spots/acne scars THAT well, and I swear I used it up in like...a month? Haha. I used this yesterday and today, and I'm quite happy. Not positive yet if it's that much better than the No7 one, but I'll have to see! I did notice though, that because the No7 concealer is so creamy, I end up using quite a lot of it. But since this one is a bit harder, I found myself using less, so I like that!

Concealer applied to my face. I'm pretty impressed, but at the same time, it's not exactly flawless, is it? But then again, since I can't be arsed with proper foundation (mineral only please!), that's kind of my own fault, tehe.

Cremesheen Lipstick in Shy Girl:

My friend, who was very helpful in me picking out these products, suggested I get Snob. While I did like the look of it, I already have a lot of pink lippys, and while searching, I found this one! People call it the perfect nude, and I have to agree, it's gorgeous!

On me lips:

Another shot of it on me lips:

One of my first thoughts when I tried on this lipstick was that it was similar to my Natural Collection lipstick in Rose Petal. As you can see from the swatches, Rose Petal is far more of a light pink color than Shy Girl. It also looks a lot more POW on your lips, while Shy Girl is more understated. BUT, I was right about my second assumption, that it would be a perfect match for Revlon's Lipgloss in Nude Lustre. On the far right I've also included a swatch of the concealer, just incase anyone was curious!

Natural Collection Lipstick in Rose Petal and M.A.C Shy Girl, not quite dupes, haha.

M.A.C Shy Girl and Revlon Lipgloss in Nude Lustre, a match made in heaven. ;)

The two on my lips:

And again:

And finally, a photo of the eye makeup remover! When I use it I'll make sure I do a review post. I still need to try my sample of the Bare Minerals primer, so maybe I'll do a post together.

That's all, folks! I'm really happy with my purchases and look forward to soon becoming a M.A.C addict. Any advice on what to get next? ;)

FIRST EVER Lush Haul!!!

Now, there's no way you participate in the beauty blogger world and not hear about Lush. I've been dying to try something from them for agggges now, and since I just recently got paid, and their Christmas collection is out, I figured I'd grab a few things! Only 4 things, sadly, but I reckon I've become a fan for life.

FIRST OF ALL, shipping time was amazing. I ordered late Tuesday night (so it was actually Wednesday morning) and got my package this morning, Thursday! I wasn't expecting it to be that quick at all. The package was also FULL with packing peanuts so everything was nice and comfy and nothing broke. Unfortunately, shipping is based off of weight, so the more you get, the more you pay. So next time I'd be more tempted to actually go to one of the shops.

Anyways, here's what I got:

Gingerbread House Bubble Bar: 2.45 pounds

One of my favorite Christmas scents has to be gingerbread, so this was on the top of my wish list. This looks and smells good enough to eat. I'm serious...there's SPRINKLES in it, they're just begging me to have a bite. Kidding, kidding. This smells soooo lovely and spicy. And since the weather here in London has gotten quite cold and there's news of snow, I can't wait to use this!!

Christmas Kisses Bubble Bar: 2.80 pounds

This one didn't come in one of the yellow baggies, so this is the scent that wafted up to me when I opened the box. Mmmmmmmmmm. It has a lovely cinnamon scent and I'm sure it will also warm me up in the bath on these cold winter nights.

Bearded Lady Bubble Bar: 2.50 pounds

How cute does she look!? Lol. I must say, there is something a bit off-putting about the smell of this one, BUT, in a review I found, someone said the same thing, but that once it was in the bath it smelled lovely and spicy, so my hopes are still high!

Honey I Washed The Kids Soap: 2.95 pounds

This isn't from the Christmas line, but it's one of those products I've been wanting to try ever since one of the Fowler sisters raved about it. Yes, I'm guilty of watching their videos, LOL. It's described as "the irresistible toffee and honey one" which just sounds so yummy. I can't wait to use it in the shower.

Glade Spiced Apple Candles: 1.50 each

And finally, this isn't from Lush, I picked these up from Tesco, for only 1.50 each! They're such a good deal I thought I'd point them out. They smell sooo nice and I'm going to be burning them at my boyfriend's and mine's Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday. I don't believe Tesco is still doing the 1.50 deal, but I saw them in the Co-Op for only 1.50.

That's all! As I use the bubble bars and soap, I will be doing individual reviews on them. Have a lovely night everyone, and wrap up, it's freezing out there!!

FOTD: Thursday! (so original lol)

Hi ladies! I'm not sure why I look so emo in that photo, I just look silly sometimes when I smile, haha. Happy Thanksgiving! I won't be celebrating till Saturday, when my boyfriend's family will be coming over. They're all British, so I think it will definitely be interesting, hehe.

My eye look was really simple, because I was rushing because I was getting ready for work, then a package from Lush came (YES MY FIRST EVER LUSH PURCHASE AND OMG I'M SO EXCITED, HAUL POST LATER, HEHEHE) and I got distracted, so ANYWAYS, I rushed to do my eye makeup. But then I got a text from the student I note take for saying she couldn't make it to the first class, so anyways, I had more time and figured I'd do a FOTD post. :D

Products Used:

Eyes:

Urban Decay Naked Palette (sin on the lids, virgin as a highlight)

Maybelline Lash Stiletto Mascara

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Zero (waterline)

Lips:

e.l.f Mineral Lipstick in Nicely Nude

Bourjois Effet 3D MAX Lipgloss in Rose Eclat

Face:

No7 Quick Cover Blemish Stick in Fair

Bare Minerals (light foundation, bisque concealer, and mineral veil)

e.l.f Studio Blusher in Gotta Glow (highlight)

Sleek Blusher in Rose Gold

I'll have the Lush haul up tonight, ANNNND, I also ordered two items from MAC the other day (-squeaaaal-) so when that comes I'll post that haul as well.

NOTD: Nails Inc Savile Row

I picked up this nail polish free with Glamour the other day because I wanted to do my nails but my nail collection is verrrry small (can you believe that??) so I decided since the free Nail Inc's were still going around for only 2 pounds, I'd grab another one!

Nails Inc Nail Polish in Savile Row

I must complain about the drying time on these. They're amazing quality, but they take FOREVER to dry. The first night I did them, I went to bed and woke up with hair marks indented into them....so I had to redo them the next night, and this time, I made sure I waited EXTRA long, but one of my nails still got a bit of comforter marks on it, but it was better than the previous night.

Otherwise, this is a gorgeous dark plum color perfect for this autumn/winter season.

What do you guys think?

Mac A Tartan Tale Wish List

Another holiday wish list from me! I'm reaaaallly hoping that Christmas is going to be the perfect way for me to finally break my Mac virginity, haha. I've been looking at loads of videos/swatches, and these are the items I've narrowed it down to (from the Tartan Tale collection anyways...) Just give me at least one of these, Santa, and I'll be a happy gal! ;) I don't even really want ALL these items (okay I do, but let's be reasonable) so it's more of a this or that kind of thing. I only really one of the eyeshadows, one of the pearlglide liners, one of the face kits, and one of the lip kits, if that makes ANY sense at all, tehe. So if you guys have any suggestions on which is the better eyeshadow, which is the better face kit, etc, then your comments would be hugely appreciated! =)

1. Eyeshadow in A Wish Come True

2. Eyeshadow in Follow Your Fantasy

3. Pearlglide Eyeliner in Lord It Up

4. Pearlglide eyeliner in Black Swan

5. Hark The Heraldry Face Kit

6. A Triumphant Blush Face Kit

7. Happily Ever After Lip Kit

8. Vain & Glorious Lip Bag

Anyone else lusting after any of these items for the holidays?

Holiday Eyes: Sleek Greens/Blues

Hi girlies! So as I said in my previous post, I also went through all my Sleek palettes and swatched their greens/blues that I think are good for Holiday Eyes. They range from greens and blues great for nighttime and bright/light colors better suited for day. Granted, some of the swatches don't actually look green/blue, but the color in the pans do, so sorry about that! The numbers on the swatches below correspond to the numbers above!

My favorites have to be 10 and 11 from the Original palette. I've used these two colors numerous times and think they're gorgeous.

What's your favorites?

Holiday Eyes: Misc Greens/Blues

Hi girlies! I've got another holiday related post on green and blue eyeshadows. I went through my collection and swatched all of my greens/blues from an array of brands. Following this post, there will be one on greens/blues offered by Sleek!

The three e.l.f eyeshadows are colors from their Beauty Books; The Eye Brights and Smokey Eye Editions. I've been less and less impressed with the Beauty Books as time goes by. I never reach for them anymore because they're such bad quality shadows. They're chalky, have a huge amount of fallout....and are just kind of shit...LOL, sorry to be so blunt. They look okay in these swatches, but trust me, they're a pain to work with.

My favorites:

Maybelline Dream Mousse Eye Color in Heavenly Blue, Wet n Wild Sensual Sage, NYX Atlantic, Models Own Duo in Summers Day.

I think all these colors are great for holiday eyes if you're going for a blue or green look. The turquoise color in the Models Own duo is GORGEOUS. I haven't given it half of the attention it deserves, just because the other purple shadow is disappointing. I think the Maybelline Dream Mousse color would be great as a base to a blue eye look. And if you're going for something a bit more intense or dark, NYX's Atlantic would be a good choice. For a more subtle green look (if you don't want your eyes to scream CHRISTMAS haha) Wet N Wild Sensual Sage is great.

What are your favorite blue or green shadows this holiday season?

Christmas Party Look

Hi girlies! I decided to do a Christmas look the other night for you guys. I think it's a great look for a Christmas party. To me, a Christmas party look should be frosty and shimmery! It's not amazing because I did it at the end of the day so my concealer/foundation was wearing off, and I wiped off my eye makeup from that day then never reapplied eye primer, BUT ANYWAYS, this is just an idea of some products that I think are good for a Christmas Party look:

Eyes:

On the lid, I used Urban Decay's Sin. Then for a pop of color I used Sleek's Good Girl Palette by using Lollipop in the inner lid. I then used Lychee as a highlight/brow bone color. Obviously, if I had used primer the look would of been a bit more intense. I also just used your basic black eyeliner on the waterline and a mascara to make the eyes really pop. You can obviously use whatever you like, but I deffo think shimmery is the way to go!

Face:

Again, SHIMMER! Lol. I used Prestige's bronzer all over my face, because it's very light and just adds a nice shimmer to the whole face. I then used E.l.f's Gotta Glow as a highlight, just over the apples of my cheeks. In terms of blush, I think of rosy cheek when it comes to winter time! So I used my Body Shop Autumn Leaves blusher.

Lips:

What kind of inspired this look was the 17 lipgloss in Star Girl that I picked up earlier in the week. It's so frosty and shimmery and perfect for a Christmas party look. I layered it over Revlon's Matte Lipstick in Pink Pout.

That's it! Hope you guys like it. I have some other Christmas posts coming up (can you tell I'm in the holiday spirit!?) where I show my favorite Christmas eyeshadows. Now I'm off to do another chapter of my dissertation. Waaaah. Lol.