My Make-up Storage/Set-up

So I've been debating doing a blog post like this for a while now, mostly because I haven't been 100% happy with it and I'm still not, but I figured that it's going to take a while for me to get the set-up I really like so I might as well give you all a general idea of what way I set up my make-up. 

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I've seen a lot of Youtubers rave about the acrylic cases you can buy and use to store your make-up in, so I new I had to get them. I ordered mine from MUJI - http://www.muji.eu/. Muji is great for all different kind of storage, especially if you don't want to splurge on acrylic storage which is that bit more expensive but anyway. I bought three items from Muji which were;

- Acrylic Box with 2 drawers and a flip top lid - £8.50

- Acrylic Box 2 drawers, wide - £10.95

- Acrylic 5 drawer box - £24.95

All of which you can see below :)

I didn't organise it in a particular order - I was just going in order from top to bottom in what I would apply first onto my face. 

This drawer contains all my liner and mascaras. It also has some random tools and eyelash glue

This drawer is for my go-to eyeshadows which I would use on a daily basis

This drawer also contains some of my more popular eyeshadows which I would use regularly 

This drawer contains the eyeshadows that I don't use all that much - its pretty abandoned lol

This drawer contains all of my concealers, eyebrow tools and some product samples

This drawer is my Favourite lol it contains all of my glosses, liquid lipsticks etc and is the most colourful, which I love 

This drawer is sort of miscellaneous. It has random bits and bobs of everything and some products which I haven't used yet 

This drawer contains all of my bronzers

And this drawer contains all of blushers and highlighter

That was all of my acrylic drawers and what I have in them. Beside it is where I keep my lipsticks, brushes and palettes which you can see below

 My lipsticks are being held in a 24 clear acrylic lipstick holder which I got off ebay

As you can probably tell, I haven't included my foundations or powders - that's because I don't have anywhere to store them as of yet, they're just sitting on the floor beside my unit. When I do have some type of storage for them, I will do a post showing them :)

I hope you liked this post! :)

#MyStyle

I seen this tag over at themakeupchair's channel which you can find here on YouTube and I absolutely loved the concept of it. Basically her and a few other gurus have started this tag were, at the start of every month they talk about a certain style which they like - themakeupchair's was her Fall Lip Shades - which is what I have decided to do :)

Autumn/Fall is one of the best times of the year because there are so many different ways in which you can experiment and play around with your make-up! Especially if you're a beginner, this would be the best time to play around and come up with new looks and ideas.

So lets get started!

Look 1 - The Red Lip

Red Lips are definitely going to be big this season and I personally am a huge lover of the classic red lip. It suits every skin tone and even makes your teeth look whiter which is always a bonus! Red Lips - especially those which blue undertones are perfect for autumn/winter and are a classic statement piece which can jazz up any outfit! My favourite lipstick for this look currently is Rimmel Kate Lipstick in the shade 01

Look 2 - The Berry/Plum Lip

The Berry/Plum lip is also extremely popular especially around this time! Though I do think it takes people to be confident in order to pull this look off - it's not for the fair hearted! I personally love wear purple shades in autumn mostly because I think it goes so well with the season and the oncoming winter. I think purples can work well on all skin tones - you just have to find the right shade! My favourite for this is Maybelline 14hr Superstay lipstick in Plum

Look 3 - Brown/Black

I know that by looking at the title of this look - it sounds very scary, but I assure you it's not :) What I mean by "brown" is basically a plum shade that appears more brown than plum and by "black" I mean a very deep purple that depending on the light, will look black. I think these looks would definitely look better toward the end of autumn and the beginning of winter mostly because it get's colder, and it get darker so darker lips will help to accentuate the season and will co-ordinate with it. My lipsticks for these are Elf's Mineral Lipstick in Plum and Rimmel Kate's Lipstick in 04.

Top 10 Drugstore Items under £10

Today I'll be doing a Top 10 under £10 on drugstore products, as you can see by the title :)

Face

Foundation - Rimmel Wake Me Up (£8.99)

Concealer - Collection 2000 concealer (£3.99)

Blusher - Elf Baked Blusher (£3.75)

Bronzer - MUA Bronzer (£4)

Eyes/Eyebrows

Mascara - Rimmel Scandaleyes Flex (£6.99)

Eyeliner - MUA black pencil liner (£1)

Shadow - MUA 12 Colour Palette (£4)

Eyebrow gel/pencil - Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil (£2.99)

Lips

Lipstick - Maybelline Super Stay 14hr lipstick in Plum (£6.99)

Gloss/Stain - L'Oreal Glam Shine Stain Splash (£7.99)

Well that is my Top 10 drugstore items under £10.. I hope you liked it! :)

It's Finally Arrived!

So when I first signed up to my course, we were informed that we would have to purchase three things.

1. The Uniform

2. NVQ Level 2 Beauty Therapy Kit

3. Skin Care Kit

I had ordered all three away last week and the week before, and my NVQ Level 2 Beauty Therapy kit has finally came! I was so excited the package was huge and I could barely lift it - neither could the delivery man haha. We were given a list of everything that was included but because it's so long I'm not going to rewrite that all but I am going to show a picture and list some of the items that are in it :)

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Ta Dahhh

Okay so I'm going to name the things that are noticeable or in a pack together. So on the very far left, the black box, is the hot wax. Beside that (all the skin truth tubes) is for your hands and cuticles, aka - the manicure set. In front of that is some antibacterial hand gel and petroleum jelly. The clear bag beside them is the tinting kit which contains four tints, a tint developer and brush. The bag behind that with the blue bottles is all of the creams, masks etc. that's needed for a pedicure. Beside that is an apron. Next to that is all of the waxing items - such as, the pre wax, after wax etc. and fabric waxing strips. In front of that - the plastic case contains all of the tools I will need - nail clippers, buffers, files etc. Beside that I ten have an eyelash kit which contains strips, individual lashes and glue etc. Beside that is a pot for the wax and next to that is a set of make-up brushes. Down in front there are a few nail polished - french manicure ones, a base coat, top coat etc and finally beside that is a manicure bowl. 

I know that may be a lot to take in and understand but there you have it - I also got a bag and my textbook which I didn't take a photo of - but they were included in the kit :)

Favourite Mascaras of the Past Month

I like I'm sure most other girls, LOVE having big, beautiful lashes. I have naturally long black lashes which does make it easier to be a tad nicer to mascaras. I honestly don't think I've found a mascara that I haven't like, lucky me, but at the same time, I go for mascaras that tend to give more volume over length. 

This past month or so, I have been addicted to two mascaras and these are;

Rimmel Scandal Eyes Flex Mascara 

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Max Factor Eye Brightening Mascara for Green Eyes

Basically, I use the Rimmel Scandal Eyes Flex first in order to get the volume I desire. What I love about this mascara is that no matter how many time you apply, it will never go clumpy - which is a big no no for me - but I'm so happy to say this doesn't do that! 

I then apply the Max Factor Eye brightening mascara on top - this is because I don't want that much length, though it does add a bit - but the main reason is because I want this mascara to be the outer layer because of the ruby flecks that are in it. The flecks are what help to enhance your eye colour and each mascara has different coloured flecks for the different eye colours. So when I apply this last, it adds a coat of the ruby flecks onto the outer layer of mascara therefore reflecting the light. If i had of applied it first then the Rimmel mascara, i would've just covered them and it wouldn't have done anything. 

Overall I really like this combo and I intend to stick to it until I find a new love! They're also a really good price and won't break the bank - so to speak - and overall are great products! 

:)

First Impression - Nivea Express Hydration Primer

So I was in the boyfriend's house watching TV when I an advertisment came on about the new Nivea Primer - I was instantly intrigued as I love finding new primer that will make my make-up last as long as I need it to. 

I bout it from Savers when it was on sale for an amazing £3.49 for 50ml - which I thought was a total bargain! They have two types, one for normal and combination skin and one for dry and sensitive skin - I got the normal and combination one.

Initially when I read the package, I immediately had good expectations as it stated "moisturises and provides a smooth base for effective make-up application with effective hydrators" Some more information about the product;

NIVEA PHILOSOPHY 

 Nivea uses ingredients inspired by nature to create high performance products that work in perfect harmony with your skin - to help you look and feel your most beautiful 

NIVEA Daily Essentials Express Hydration Primer enriched with Vitamins & natural Lotus Extract;

• Provides an even and smooth base for effective make-up application and helps your make-up stay put
• Absorbs instantly thanks to it's light texture
• Uses an effective hydrator for long lasting moisturisation and a soft skin feeling 

I also really like the packaging - it's simple and clean which I really like :)

Time for the Results! :)

My initial thought when I first applied it was that it was very light weight, which I liked because it didn't feel heavy or thick on my skin, and it also absorbed really well into my skin and didn't leave any kind of greasy residue.

After 2.5 hours - I first applied this with my make-up at 11.30am as I was getting ready to head into town, by the time 1.30pm came, I decided to have a wee check in the toilets to see how my make-up was doing. I was really impressed - not one bit had budged or worn off! I was really impressed because it was pretty warm and walking around the shops etc I was getting a tad sweaty, gross I know but it happens, and none of my make-up had smeared off!

After 4.5 hours - When I was leaving town, I decided again to run to the loo and check my make-up, I did notice a bit of my make-up had came off around my nose, granted I had been rubbing it etc. so that was pretty acceptable, but overall my make-up was still looking good!

After a total of 7 hours - Once I got home and changed into comfy clothes etc. I had another look at my make-up and overall, I am super impressed! Only the make-up around had came off during the whole day and that was mostly because I was rubbing it! 

Overall, I really love this product. Not only did it keep my skin hydrated without looking shiny or oily and it also made my make-up last! And for the price it was an absolute bargain. I would highly recommend this product, and because it has two different types, it's suitable for everyone! :)

How Young is Too Young to Wear Make-up

I'm not sure about other places - but I know where I live and in my local towns and schools, the age were girls start wearing make-up is getting younger and younger.

I'm not opposed to wearing make-up - obviously - but at the age of 12 and having a full face, not even done correctly, is not something I personally agree with. There have been a lot of shows and reports where younger girls are wearing make-up and even the clothing that they were are seen as provocative and can put them in danger, so I don't understand why they're being allowed to do it - and sometimes it's the parents who are influencing them.

 I will admit I started wearing make-up around 14/15 because at that age I was so insecure about my freckles and my red cheeks that I just wanted to get rid of them, and I done that by layering my face in foundation - which wasn't even in the right shade.. oh the shame.. but eventually when I reached 17 I had finally perfected the art of "putting on my face" and could make it look natural and no one even knew it! 

I know that, when I was young being in a drugstore and seeing all the different types of make-up and tools and colours - it is really exciting and I couldn't wait to start experimenting with it.... so basically what I'm trying to say is.. wait to wear make-up until a good age - maybe 16/17 and try to make it as natural as possible, no one want's to look like they got gang banged by crayola lol- especially for school - but have fun with it too and experiment!

  

Natural is Beautiful but Make-up is Glam  

Nail Polish

I know I'd usually post daily but I seem to be having a "blogger's block," in other words, I don't know what to blog about! I'm trying to get everything ready for starting college on the 2nd so I'm a little bit overwhelmed at the minute. But last night I was in a sorting mood and I was going through all of my make-up and polish etc when I noticed - I have quite a lot of nail polish lol. I would generally paint my nails every two weeks or so, so I was a little surprised when I seen how many I have! I think overall I have around 50-60  but the majority are blacks and neutrals with a few colours thrown in - so in this post I just wanted to show you some of the coloured polishes I own :) 

School/College

I know it's coming up to the start of another school year so I just thought I'd share what has been happening and what I will be doing. 

So last year, I started college. I was very excited about it and my course which was a HND in Applied Biology - I thought that by completing this I would be able to go on and do Zoology - but I was wrong and this course definitely wasn't for me. Even though it says Applied Biology, there was also a lot of chemistry, physics and maths involved - I was only interested in the Biology and Biochemistry... so I left that course before the year was up and spent the rest of my time trying to find a job and decide what I wanted to do with my life.

I've always loved beauty and make-up. On nights out I would be the designated person to do everyones, I even done my own formal make-up and nails, my sisters formal make-up and my other sisters graduation make-up.. it has been a big part of my life and I love it - so I decided to apply and....

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I GOT IN! :)

I am honestly so excited to be starting a new chapter, so to speak, and doing something that I love and adore! :)

I will keep you's posted on how the course goes and the uniform and kits etc. so keep and eye out for that :)

Naked Face

This is a bit of a different post... this post is to show everyone who follows or looks at my blog that - I'm not perfect - no one's perfect.

Everyone is different and everyone has their own insecurities and things that they may not like about themselves - but there is no harm in embracing them and saying "yes I have these but do you know what? I'm me and I'm beautiful" because at the end of the day, are who you are and you look the way you look. There is no shame in not being the typical size 8 the majority of girls dream of being, there's nothing wrong with having freckles - 70 odd % of men like freckles! There's nothing wrong being pale - most people relate pale skin to purity -so embrace it!

So many girls and boys go to extreme measures because they aren't happy with how they look and the amount of pressure that is put on them is shocking! Magazines, TV shows - even through their own friends and family and lets not forget social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. 

With that being said - I'm in no way perfect, there are some things I like about myself and some things I don't - so what I have decided to do - which is kind of similar to the tag that was going around Youtube for a while - my perfect imperfections - but for bloggers -here's what you do

1. I'm going to list 3 things I like and don't like about myself and explain why

2. I'll then post a picture of my "naked face" 

3. I'm then going to tag some people to do it themselves to help spread the word! 

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3 Things I like about myself

1. I like my eyes - i like them because they're green and green eyes are the rarest eye colour besides red, only 4% of the world's population has green eyes.

2. I like my hair - my hair is pretty long and is black which means it's super fun to experiment with different hairstyles 

3. I like my body shape - I'm a UK size 10-12 so I wouldn't say I'm skinny but I'm not overweight - I'm somewhere in the middle - I like my body shape because I have decent amount of boobs and bum and I'm quite curvy.

3 Things I dislike about Myself

1. I don't like my skin colour - I am super pale. I don't like this because most of the time I literally can;t find a foundation to match my skin tone and because I have black hair I end up looking like death lol

2. I don't like my freckles - this is because they're everywhere on my face and hardly any on my body. I wouldn't mind if they were the cute dark ones

3. I don't like my teeth - this is because I didn't wear my retainer! I had braces in high school and didn't wear my retainer when I got the braces off so now some of my teeth have moved - granted they aren't as bad as they were before I got the braces but still - I'm very self conscious about them

Now for the scary part... my naked face (excuse the weird face I pulled)

I would like to tag...

herstyletto - Sarah D

lifebyemmy - Emma/Emmy

Lollikelly

plovesfashion

And anyone else who'd like to take part! Don't feel pressured to do so though :)

Pass it on and share the word! :)

Blackheads?

If you're like me and suffer from blackheads - you know how frustrating it can be looking for products to actually get rid of the problem but all you find are products that claim to be the cure but yet... don't work. 

Well, after searching for I don't even know how long, I have finally found a product that actually works! *jumps up and down*

And this miracle product is..

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Garnier Pure Active Anti-Blackhead Deep Pore Wash

I bought this product about four days ago and I've been using it everyday since. It. Actually. Works. I couldn't believe it. After the first wash I noticed there were far less blackheads and even the pores looked smaller. This product is different to others I have tried because it has exfoliating micro-beads which cleanse and effectively unclogs pores which helps to clear blackheads and remove any impurities. It is also enriched with Zinc and Salicylic Acid because of it's purifying power - it helps to control shine and protect against the appearance of blemishes, blackheads and impurities. 

I bought this from superdrug for only £3.99 which I though was an absolute bargain as I've heard so many good things about Garnier. If you do suffer from blackheads and have oily to combination skin - I would highly recommend this product! I will definitely be trying a few more of their products :)

Got Spots?

The past week or so my skin has went nuts! I'm constantly breaking out in spots due to a change in my contraceptive pill. 

I have never been one to break out or have bad (spotty) skin - if I do break out it would've been once in a blue moon and I'd never have more than two spots at a time so when I started to break out, and I'm not exaggerating, I have them on my face, neck and back, I decided to try and look for a product that would help. Initially I was going to go for the Witch blemish stick but I changed my mind when I seen this product - It is one of Superdrug's own products and is the Tea Tree Spot Stick

The main reason this caught my attention was because it was Tea Tree. Tea Tree oil is made from the leaves of the Melaleuca Alternifolia which is a native plant in Australia. 

Tea Tree oil has strong antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties. When it's applied to the skin it has the ability to kill the bacteria which develops in spots/acne.  

Benzoyl Peroxide is the main ingredient found in the majority of acne treatments because it helps to reduce inflammation and get rid of the dead skin cells. It does however leave behind nasty side effects such as peeling, itching and burning - so Tea Tree oil is a great alternative!

The spot stick has a sponge applicator tip and comes in a decently sized bottle - the colour is green but and I know that when I first seen it I was little wary but when it's applied to the skin it doesn't come off green

 Another bonus is that it's wallet friendly! I bought this from Superdrug for £2.99 which I thought was a bargain! 

I have been using this for a few days now and I can already notice the difference! My spots have already decreased in size and the redness has also reduced. I would highly recommend this product :)

Product Rave

I am a huge believer in drugstore make-up - literally everything I buy is either from the drugstore or from online so I love to try new products which are at a reasonable price. 

The brand MUA are probably one of the cheapest brands in the drugstore and I love their products! Not only are they extremely affordable (although I will say they have upped their price on their new products) and the quality is phenomenal - ranging from their lipsticks to their eyeshadows. So when I seen that they had a new range out Undress your Skin I had to try some of it.

The first product I got was an eyeshadow palette - Undress Me Too and this was £4.00. As soon as I seen this product I had to get it. The colours looked amazing and I was immediately drawn to them because they were very neutral shades which are suitable for day or night. 

 The majority of the shadows are quite shimmery and there are a few mattes in there as well. The pigmentation of these are amazing as I've said before and they are also very easy to blend and I love the fact that they have a matte black especially. 

The next product I got was a highlighter. This is because it is more of a sheen highlighter that doesn't add any extra colour onto the skin it only highlights it which I really like. I believe this was around £3 but you can check the superdrug website and check. The sheen this highlighter gives is really nice - it gives a very natural and dewy finish to skin 

 I know in the photo is looks kind of pink but I can assure you that it doesn't leave a pink sheen on the skin. I love this product - I would use it daily and also for nights out - it's very versatile

I will definately be purchasing more from this new range - the quality is great and you can't beat the price, what's not to love?

:)

Review - Bourjois 123 Perfect Foundation

I got this foundation a few weeks ago in Superdrug. The packaging immediately caught my attention - it was simple but yet colourful and bold. I bought it for £10.99, which isn't that bad, but it is a step up from Rimmel and the shade was 51 Vanilla.

There are three pigments within the foundation, each of which correct imperfections

1. Yellow pigments - to correct dark circles

2. Mauve pigments - to correct a dull complexion

3. Green pigments - to correct redness

It also states to give a Flawless complexion for up to 16 hours. 

So to get started on the review - the foundation is a nice consistency, though you will have to shake it before use to thicken it as it was quite watery when I first tested it. I would say it has a medium but build-able coverage as it did help hid my dark circles and added some brightness to my complexion, but as I have quite a lot of redness on my cheeks I had to add more foundation in order to correct it.

I didn't wear the foundation for up to 16 hours as I was only busy for about 3 or 4, but in that time the foundation still looked as good as it had when I first put it on, granted a bit wore off around my nose due to scratching etc. but that's to be expected. 

I would recommend that if you have oily skin you would need to set it with a powder but if you have dry skin then the dewy finish with look great, though you may still want to set with powder along the T zone, or anywhere you may get oily in the hot weather. 

Overall, your getting what you paid for. The foundation is great, gives a nice coverage and a nice finish and would be great for days were you don't want to wear much make-up. It does correct and perfect and I will be purchasing it again :)

Drugstore Haul :)

So I went shopping yesterday, the main reason was because I just dyed my hair and I wanted to find some new hair care products to help me maintain the shine and softness.
While I was shopping I ended up getting a few other products - don't worry, I didn't get all that much :)

I do have a bit of problem with blackheads, especially around my nose so I  decided to test this out and maybe do a review on it also it it turns out to be good! :)

 I actually purchased the John Frieda shine spray first as it was only £2, but then I seen the Tony&Guy was on sale also for £2 so I decided to get it too... cheeky :)

This was the only hair mask I was able to find in savers.. Dove is a very good brand for their deodorant and moisturiser so I'm hoping this is good! If so I'll do a review.. plus it smells amazingggg! :) 

xo

Shopping :)

Okay, so I now believe that I have a shopping problem! I have went shopping once again and got a few more goodies :D (yayy!)
I have a mix of beauty and fashion items, also a phone cover, which I love! Sooooo, I hope you like :)

Revlon Photo ready compact in Natural Beige, Revlon photo ready foundation in natural beige, Maybelline Fit Me foundation in 125, NYC nail polish in Raindrop, NYC nail polish in Blue sky, L'Oreal Glam Shine Stain Splash in 400, Caresse and Rimmel Apocalips in Celestial :)

This is the Kelly Fabric Detail Cap Sleeve Skater Dress from boohoo in the colour Aqua

This is the Leighton Strappy Peplum  Scuba Playsuit from Boohoo in  black

xo