My Makeup Essentials!

Here are some of my makeup essentials for if you're maybe going out, or travelling and need to take a minimum of products!

From Left: Both Brushes are face brushes from Bare Minerals, NARS Laguna & Orgasm Duo, Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural

We will begin with face products. Of course you can have a foundation or BB cream but i didn't include one because i don't usually wear any.

To conceal any dark circles or blemishes i use the trust Collection Lasting Perfection concealer (as you can see it's well used). It provides a heavy coverage and conceals anything that needs to be. It lasts a good amount of time and a little bit definitely goes a long way.

For contour i like to use my NARS Laguna bronzer, its the perfect shade for any skin tone and is matt so you don't get any unwanted shine or sparkle on your face. It's my favourite bronzer ever, i actually purchased this when i went to New York in February.

For Highlight/blush i like to use Orgasm by NARS. It's a beautiful pink with gold highlight which warms the face and looks super pretty. Also as the bronzer and blush are a duo it takes up less room in my makeup bag!

To set my face makeup i use my MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Light. This powder is my saviour. I suffer from oily skin so when in doubt i whip this out and quickly powder my T-Zone and I'm all oil-free! 

From Left: Colourlash Mascara in Clear by Collection, W7 Angled Eyeshadow Brush, Fashionista Eyebrow Palette, Maybelline Collossal Volume Express Mascara, Miss Sporty Waterproof 24hr Pump Up Booster Eyeliner, Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze, Ruby and Millie Eyeshadow Brush, Emite Makeup Eyeshadow in Nect

Next is eyes and eyebrows.

I fill in my eyebrows using powders from my Fashionista Eyebrow Palette and my W7 Angled brush which i brought of off Amazon.co.uk. After filling in my brows i set them with Collection's clear mascara, this just holds them in place all day.

For my eyeshadow, using my index finger i'll take some of my Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze and put that all over my lid and blend with my ruby and millie brush. In my inner corners ill use Nect by Emite Makeup (they're a foreign brand so i don't know how easy it is to get hold of). Its a beautiful champagne shade with a lot of shimmer to make your eyes pop. I sometimes use this as a brow highlight also.

I'll then line my upper lash line with my favourite eyeliner ever; Miss Sporty's 24hr Pump Up Booster Eyeliner and create a small flick.

And to finish coat my eyelashes in the Colossal Volume Express Mascara by Maybelline, a favourite of many!

From Left: Bourjois Colour Boost in Orange Punch, Maybelline Babylips in Cherry Me, MAC Lovelorn

To complete the look i'd take with me 3 different options of lip colours, all extremely hydrating and moisturising.

Bourjois' Colour Boost's are super hydrating and pigmented. Perfect for summer! Orange Punch is a gorgeous orange shade which looks so nice with golden/bronze eye looks.

Maybelline Babylips are extremely popular within the beauty bloggers/youtubers community and i can understand why! Cherry Me is a sheer red lip balm. It's great for young teens who are still in school and want a little colour but not too much.

Finally is my beloved MAC lipstick in Lovelorn. This pink shade is so natural and pretty, it's great for everyday as well as going out. It's a formal feminine shade for people who prefer lipsticks over balms or crayons.

Favourite Summer Nail Polishes!

Now i have finally grown my nails after years of biting them i've become a nail polish addict!

In general i love pastel colours especially pastel blue and pink, so i thought i'd include two blues and a pink!

Barry M Gelly Nail Paint £3.99 -Superdrug     Colour: Sugar Apple

Barry M is my all time favourite nail polish brand. It's products are always amazing and they provide so much variety it takes me an hour just to pick! 

Sugar Apple is a pastel turquoise and looks super pretty especially if you have a tan! If you really like white nails but want a slight change, it totally recommend Sugar Apple.

Barry M Gelly Nail Paint £3.99 -Superdrug    Colour: Dragon Fruit

Drag Fruit is a light pink shade with tiny sparkles in it which give a glossy finish, similar to if you had gel colours at a salon!

Dragon Fruit gives you that girly Barbie-like look without looking tacky. It's such a pretty, feminine colour!

Barry M Gelly Nail Paint £3.99 -Superdrug   Colour: Greenberry

This is a well used favourite of mine, i'm nearly out! 

Greenberry is a bright turquoise which looks amazing when you're on holiday, or going to the beach! It stands out and again looks super good with a tan!

My Favourite Fragrances!

This August i thought i'd share with you two of my favourite scents, a perfume and a body spray.

Passion Struck $14 Vistoria's Secret

My absolute must have body spray is Passion Struck from Victoria's Secret. All of Victoria's Secret's body sprays smell amazing so i would recommend any and i'm pretty positive that they have deals where you can buy 2 or 5 for a certain price!

Passion Struck is created by Fuji Apple and Vanilla Orchid scents. It's a fruity, summery scent which is good for all seasons! And the best part? It lasts ALL day!

Daisy by Marc Jacobs around £40-£50

Whenever i go out for a special occasion like a party, a family meal, or something more formal i love to wear my Daisy perfume by Marc Jacobs. I received this for Christmas and instantly fell in love with the scent! 

I am awful at describing scents so this is what Marc Jacobs describe it as: 

Fresh and feminine, Daisy is a playful bright and alluring scent. Daisy captivates with the luscious freshness of wild strawberry, then blooms with the modern vintage edge of velvety violet petals and finishes with a luminous blend of gardenia and jasmine. The white accords of birch and cedarwood add a bit of intensity.

It's a really feminine and formal scent for any age!

Does It Work: BlowPro Texturising Spray

 BlowPro Texturising Spray £0.70 -Superdrug    GHD Straighteners (really old)

I'm a hater of perfectly pristine hairstyles, i love messy hair with texture! Personally my hair is extremely thick and has a lot of volume naturally but has no real style. I had been on the hunt for a good, affordable texturising spray for a while when i saw this green can reduced to only 70p! 

This amazing spray provides your hair with a fuller, texturised look. I definitely recommend this to people with thin, limp hair!

How To Style:

I normally use my GHDs to give my hair a wavy look. I do this by turning the straighteners one way and then the other to make a wavy/crimped effect.

watch this video to see what i mean:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PjQ29deZUg

I then spray in my texturising spray (onto dry hair obviously) and scrunch it to separate the waves and give it a more bed hair/messy look!

I love this look, and maybe you will too? try it out!

Collective Haul! -Summer 2014

Over the past week or so i have been shopping and bought a few items i thought id share with you.

Shift Dress £8 New Look     Bag £25 Urban Outfitters

These are two of my favourite purchases! I absolutely love shift dresses at the moment and i luckily found this bargain in the New Look sale the other day. The colour is so spring/summer and definitely makes your tan look 10x better! 

This bag is my favourite thing ever! I was on the hunt for a new bag which was made decently and would last me a long time when i stumbled across this amazing leather studded bag in Urban Outfitters in the sale! It a perfect size, especially for college and the beach and just looks amazing with anything and everything!

Kimono £24.99 New Look     Denim Shorts £10 H&M

I think the festival look is really in at the moment and i personally have wanted a kimono for a long time. I think they pull any summer look together and also protect you from the sun; win win situation!

Already i have one pair of denim shorts from Topshop which i have had for around 2 years or so, and i adore them! But i thought i would try a darker shade out for this summer. I really like the rips as i think it gives it a more carefree look and can make your outfit look instantly more interesting. Again i found these in the H&M sale!

Playsuit £14 Primark    Sandals £10 Urban Outfitters

Today i was hunting around Primark and came across this gorgeous baby blue playsuit. I think its such a nice colour for any skin tone, and it's got such a flattering shape! There was also a printed version, of which i think i will be purchasing asap. It was unbelievably cheap and made very well!

These sandals are going to be my holy grail for summer! I recently broke a well loved pair of white sandals that i had owned for years and i was in desperate need for a new pair! White is definitely the 'in' colour for this season and i believe it's an underrated colour; white makes you look way more tanned, and looks super summery! I found these in the Urban Outfitters sale for only £10!

Floral Co-ord £22 Urban Outfitters

To finish i found this amazing floral co-ord in, again, the sale of Urban Outfitters! it was only £22 for both the top and the skirt. I am absolutely in love with it! i think it's so vintage but also really on trend with the pink/purple floral print.

Why Is Peppermint Tea So Good!?

 

Recently i've been trying to go a bit more healthy and by doing so i've had to cut out my favourite drink ever, tea. 

Well... normal tea anyway.

My friend, Beccy, introduced me to Peppermint Tea which i'm not going to lie sounds way to healthy for me BUT as I'm on this health hype i decided to give it a try. At first i totally despised it, but i think it's because I'm a sweet lover and my tea always had about 3-4 sugars in it...

Anyway i made my mum purchase some from Waitrose and have forced myself to drink it every morning to refresh and cleanse my body, and i have in fact grown to love the stuff.

It leaves a real refreshing after taste and makes you feel cleansed and it's actually quite relaxing.

It's very healthy as you only add hot water to the tea bag, no milk or sugar.

And in addition it has soooooo many benefits! 

1. Relieves stomach pains: Peppermint is considered a stomach healer that can assist with irritable bowel syndrome, nausea, stomach aches, diarrhea or constipation.
2. Aid digestion: Peppermint acts as a cooling carminative that helps to relieve pain in the digestive tract by helping gas to move through your stomach and intestines after you have eaten.
3. Relieves nausea, fever and cough: The antispasmodic qualities of peppermint can help to prevent vomiting. The analgesic properties of the tea can help to calm and relax the stomach and intestinal muscles that can help to get rid of irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea or stomach cramps.
4. Boost immune system: Many people consume peppermint tea when they are suffering from the cold or flu because it is full of calcium, vitamin B and potassium that can give the immune system a boost.
5. Reduce bad breath: Those with bad breath can sip peppermint tea to help encourage a more pleasant smell.
6. Relieve stress: The taste and smell of peppermint are known to help relieve stress. Drinking peppermint tea is found to help people sleep more easily at night because of these stress-relieving properties. 
7. Other benefits: Some claim that peppermint tea can suppress the appetite, which is helpful for those that are trying to lose weight. Others think that giving a baby peppermint tea to sip on can help to manage colic. Still others have found that drinking peppermint tea can help reduce the discomfort that is associated with headaches or migraines.

Go grab some peppermint tea and try it yourselves!

How I Got Silver/White Hair!

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                                   BEFORE                                                    AFTER

DISCLAIMER:

This will not work on dark hair, you will need to be a very light shade of blonde like i was.

I have wanted white/silver hair forever and now i have finally left school i decided to attempt to do it myself! The reason i don't go to hairdressers very often is because i never think they achieve the result i actually want. My hairdresser, Louise, actually does get the results i want as you can see i wanted to be a very light blonde and she achieved that (see before picture) but i just genuinely prefer doing it myself as i feel if it goes wrong i can only blame me.

Provoke Touch Of Silver Shampoo + La Riche Directions White Toner

To go from the light blonde i was to white/silver i didn't actually use a 'dye', i used a white 'toner'. I brought this toner online from Amazon.co.uk for around £3 a pot -amazing right?

I'd say i used around 3 1/2 pots as i have quite long hair. If you have shoulder length and thin hair one is probably enough.

Before i did any of this i did ALOT of research, i watched a tonne of youtube videos and read lots and lots of reviews on the toner i was about to purchase. I have intact used Directions before when i dyed my hair pink last summer so i knew it was a good brand.

Prior to the process i did a strand test to find out how long i should leave the toner on.

I also had washed my hair a few days ago so it was in need of a wash. Make sure your hair is product free.

I began by sectioning my hair from the bottom working my way up (like you would when curling or straightening). I used a hair colouring brush (you can buy these so cheap online) and layered on the white toner making sure to evenly cover all my hair. 

P.s you don't need gloves as the toner isn't dye and won't stain your hands because its white.

After i had covered all my hair, i put it all onto my head and clipped it when a massive bulldog clip. The pot says to leave it on for 15 minutes but i left it on for an hour or so because my hair wasn't an extremely light blonde and i also have dark areas as my hair was highlighted.

After an hour i rinsed out the product, i didn't use any shampoo or conditioner because the toner itself is very conditioning, it doesn't cause any damage.

And that was it! i was then left with silver/white hair.

This won't last forever though as it is only toner. Therefore i brought myself some Provoke Touch Of Silver Twice A Week Brightening Shampoo, this stuff will maintain the colour of your hair. 

Its got a strong violet pigment which cancels out any brassiness and keeps the white tone. And it's only £3!

Buy them now:

La Riche Directions White Toner

Provoke Touch Of Silver Shampoo