the start of a new beginning..

 I've recently picked up a few MAC eyeshadows and wanted to share the gorgeous, daily wearable shades with you today and also ask for a bit of advice on which ones I should purchase to extend my collection. I never really knew where to start and spent hours researching different shades, especially those suitable for blue eyes and blonde hair which I have. This brought me to the shade "all that glitters" the more golden shade I have pictured, and the shade "satin taupe" which is the darker, brown-grey shade which I wear almost every day. I love pairing these together, or on their own and find them very wearable and buildable.

Satin Taupe is described as a taupe shade *durr* with a high shimmer which reflects silver in some lights, its gorgeous to wear especially for a night out and a quick alternative to using a variety of different eyeshadows to create a smokey eye. I absolutely love this shade, its super soft and applies like a dream even without a primer, without any fallout. This was the first mac eyeshadow I purchased and would definitely buy again and again!

The second one I purchased was on a whim in the mac store when I was returning from a weekend in London with my boyfriend, but i'm oh so glad I did. I love this colour, although very daring and out of my comfort zone, all that glitters is great for those days I want to go all out with my makeup! It brightens my eyes, makes me look more awake and is a peachy rose gold shade when applied to the lid. I find I have to wear this one with eyeliner or I can look a bit odd, but I don't mind that. This colour also works great paired with a darker shade in the crease and outer V.

What MAC eyeshadows would you recommend me picking up?

Kate Moss Rimmel 03

Have to say I'm a sucker for a good lipstick but I do tend to go for the darker shades even in summer. I love my MAC Amorous and Rebel usually but after seeing a friend wear this shade I knew that I had to pick this one up, i've had the shade 107 from the Kate Moss Matte collection featuring this gorgeous red packaging and now i've added 101 to my collection - I feel as though 110 will be my next shade. 

"Kate Moss brings colour to a new unique dimension. The gorgeous colour richness and COMFORT of Kate’s lipstick, now in a Velvety MATTE finish. Ruby Powder enriched formula to intensify the colour while keeping a matte finish all day long! Matte is re-invented for the most velvety comfortable colour EVER!" - product description.

 At £5.49 I think the price of these lipsticks is amazing for the quality you receive. This lipstick features an amazing fruity scent, not too overpowering and provides medium coverage on the lips. The only downside to the lighter colour that I've found is that it does cling to dry patches slightly and this is more noticeable than the darker 107 shade I also own, but applying a lip balm or some Vaseline before hand can make application that little bit easier. Staying power is good, which you would expect from a matte lipstick and I can easily wear this shade for 5-6 hours before topping up which I find to be good value for money. 

101 is a lovely blue toned pink and although I'm very pale I find this to look good on my lips when wearing a slightly heavier eye look, this for me is a wearable everyday shade especially for work. I'm keen to try out this shade with a lip primer underneath and see how long I can make it last! 

You can shop the shades from boots here - whats your favourite lip product right now? x

A festival/holiday must have!*

I was recently contacted to review these plasters by Dermocare, which I know isn't the typical thing you will find on a beauty blog but I was intrigued by the designs and thought they would be fab for a holiday get away or visiting a festival this year. If your anything like me then your pretty clumsy and constantly in need of a plaster, in each of these £2.99 packs you get 18 plasters of 3 sizes, all unique designs featuring Safari and Ocean life animals which are guaranteed to make your outfit stand out that little bit more..

What I love most about these plasters is that they are supporting WWF - world wildlife fund, and their projects whilst being fun and eyecatching, which makes them worlds apart from any standard plaster. I think these are a fun alternative for children, who are likely to be more fascinated by the design on their plaster over their choice than where they've hurt themselves. 

Having tried and tested these plasters on my blisters (stupid new shoes) I can definitely say they are washproof and breathable, hypoallergenic and latex free, gentle on the skin and easy to remove. Dermocare states they are designed for all ages from birth, which is also fab (although i'm not too sure they'd stay on a baby for very long!) 

The safari plasters available here feature my favourite designs of them all! In this pack you receive a zebra, leopard, giraffe, giant panda, orangutan, lion, tiger and rattlesnake. My favourites have to be the giraffe and zebra ones - how adorable. The ocean life plasters available here and these feature some very different designs such as great white shark, penguin, clownfish, dolphin, saltwater crocodile, seal, lionfish and sea turtle. 

I have really enjoyed using these plasters and definitely deem them a handbag essential, and great for holidays or festivals to match up with different outfits and be different to your usual, very boring plasters! You can find Dermocare on facebook, twitter, and pinterest :)

These products were kindly sent to me to review, but as always opinions are not influenced and are 100% my own based on my use of the product.

Will you benefit from using Rollerlash?

Recently i've been loving Benefit's Roller Lash Mascara - and it's swiftly become my favourite mascara of all time. I honestly speak about this mascara to everyone who asks for a recommendation, I can definitely see myself repurchasing this numerous times, and whats better.. it's a much improved formula compared to they're real in my opinion!

First off is the packaging, whilst I love the silver tube of they're real I also love the packaging of this mascara, and feel as though they've been inspired by hair rollers when creating this mascara packaging! I love the pink lid and the font used too, and being pink its great for a girly makeup bag. The mascara wand in my opinion is much better than they're real - this one is smaller in size meaning I can get right into those little nippers in the corners and also providing curl, volume and length! This mascara really does work wonders for my lashes and god knows what i'd do without this mascara, as keeping up false lashes would cost a fortune.

The formula of the mascara is definitely lightweight in comparison to they're real and for that matter any other mascara's ive tried and means that even the thinnest of eyelashes can handle a few coats without feeling heavy which I love. Such a buildable mascara and you can definitely use that to your advantage when preparing for a night out on the town. Finally, I find this mascara sooooo much easier to remove than they're real - with Benefit having to bring out a remover for their previous mascara. This one comes off easily with makeup wipes, any micellar water or cleanser.. brilliant!

Benefit Roller Lash retails for £19.50 but definitely is worth the money and is available to buy here. Whats your favourite mascara?

Rocket Volum

Have to say I have been a fan of Maybelline mascaras since I first started wearing it back in my younger years. I definitely find myself going back to them if I venture out into other brands, I find Maybelline have got mascaras right to a T and never fail to disappoint me. The Rocket Volum Express Mascara is again another amazing mascara introduced to their range. I've tried 4 or 5 different Maybelline mascaras over the past few years, I have loved each one, but I do find myself getting bored of using the same one over and over again so I do like to opt for alternatives, especially trying out cheaper products in hope for them to have the same results... which doesn't seem to be working! I love the brush of the Rocket mascara, and I find that it coats lashes with the right amount of volume in order to create a look that you could wear in the day, and one that you could transition into night with a few more coats and some fancy eye shadow/liner. The mascara for me lengthens my lashes amazingly, I was pleasantly surprised the first time I used this mascara, I was unsure where my lashes had came from!! The mascara does not clump unless you literally put on 6 or 7 coats, which lets be realistic is not needed!  The mascaras are constantly on offer in boots and superdrug, and they are definitely worth the price as they do the job, last for a very long time and have amazing results. I constantly get asked what mascara I use, whether I'm on the till at work or at a party, and it's this one!

1,2,3 Perfect..

I have to be completely honest and say I am yet to find my holy grail foundation. There is just something missing from each one I've dried or I can find fault with something or other. I'm very fussy, I will admit, but I've tried so many foundations over the last few years that you would think i'd have found one I could stick with by now.. unfortunately not.

The last foundation I have been trying is the 1,2,3 perfect foundation by Bourjois Paris. As a lover of their Healthy Mix in summer, I opted for this alternative with it being a higher coverage. The foundation contains 3 pigments in, one to reduce dark circles, one to remove dull complexion and the third to reduce redness. I can definitely say it helps reduce redness on your face, something I suffer with quite badly and always have done, but for reducing dark circles I don't think this foundation helps in any way, I still have to bring out my trusty concealer in order to hide those!!

The foundation dries matte, i'm not a matte lover as I suffer from extremely dry skin and throughout the day it can often go flaky, which I hate. I find that moisturising and priming before applying this foundation does reduce this slightly, and can wear the foundation for 4-5 hours before I begin to notice it coming off my face, but this is the same with most foundations I have tried. I have to say the lightest shade is still way to dark for me, so if you are extremely pale then please go and test before you buy! I can just about get away with it when I extremely blend it out.  Overall, for the high street foundation it has some impressive qualities. I'd opt for the Healthy Mix over this one if I had the choice, even though the Healthy Mix is less coverage I find it works better with my skin type.

The body shop buys!

If you seen my post on Saturday, you will see that i've only recently started shopping at the body shop! (I know, crazy right!!) But when I made the order, I decided to pick up another treat for myself and also a gift to give to a close friend/family member over the Christmas period. 

I've just recently had my room redecorated, and I wanted something that would make it feel that little more homely. I find the Vanilla Brulee scent to be AMAZING. I love spraying this on my clothes as I walk out the door, or round my room as I enter. I've used this so much already and its showing barely any signs of use, so I know this is going to last me the longest time. The scent doesn't last for ages, which is the only downpoint I have about this product, but as its so cheap you don't mind spritzing it throughout the day. I love the glass bottles the sprays come in, they sit perfectly on my new dressing table and I can't wait to pick up a few more scents. The gift I chose was the red frosted cranberry set, and I thought whilst this was half price I couldn't find a better offer elsewhere. The packaging is even cute, and means that you don't necessarily need to wrap it, just place inside a gift bag and you're good to go. Inside you get a body butter, and also a shower gel which is a great gift idea for someone you know you need to buy for, but don't want to break the bank on a present. The body shop are doing great Christmas deals, so why don't you snap it up whilst you can get a discount? 

I couldn't be happier with my purchases, so I would definitely recommend that you head over to the body shop! I have been converted.. this could be extremely dangerous. x

Instablur...

I'm never normally one to shop at the body shop after thinking everything in there was so expensive. To be honest, I only really seen it as a shop for gifts for those that love pampering and never really looked into anything properly. I've read and watched some amazing reviews about the body shop instablur, which I decided to pick up on a Black Friday deal with 50% off.. but don't worry, theres currently 40% off everything in the body shop if you hurry!! I mainly heard of this product through Gabriella at velvetgh0st, and she raves about it. It is a primer, and it's main purpose is to maintain makeup throughout the day, applied directly underneath for a flawless base. I find this slightly pricey but I have to agree it does do its job. I normally go for primers that are are cream based as I find them easier to apply, but this a velvet touch almost gel consistency. I find this quite hard to spread on my face and therefore feel like I waste a bit more product, but overall I am pleased with the results that this product provides and would definitely repurchase in the future.  If your looking for a new primer I'd definitely read into this one, as I find it keeps my makeup on for at least 8 hours a day!

Santa Does Lush..

I finally went Christmas shopping and I feel a lot more organised!! I've probably spent way too much money, but hey its my first Christmas with a job so I finally do get to treat the special people in my life. I also picked up a couple of treats for myself, and one of them was this absolutely amazing Santa Cola Lip Scrub by LUSH.  I sadly don't live near a Lush so I don't own any of the lipscrubs already, but I had heard great things about this one and once entering the Lush shop I knew it needed to come home with me. The lipscrubs are priced at £5.50 which at first does seem expensive, but honestly they will last ages as you only need the smallest amount. The Santa lipscrub is Cola flavoured, and is a sugary scrub which you apply and massage onto the lips, leaving for a few moments before licking off (yes you can eat it!) and I can honestly say I can already see a difference. I've seen other bloggers recommend using the lipscrubs before applying lipstick as an exfoliater for dead skin (especially in the winter) and I would have to say I agree on that note.  This is sadly a limited edition product, but I have no doubts that this will last me a good while so i'm not too fussed, its also made me want to try the three other options, Mint Julips, Bubblegum and Popcorn! The Santa Lipscrub can be found on the Lush website, or in stores, and it's definitely worth it...

St Ives Scrub

Just thought i'd update you on this wet and windy Monday to let you know about this amazing St Ives Apricot Scrub i've recently been using. I picked this up on a 2 for £3 offer in Tesco and I am so glad I did. This product along with the makeup wipes and my trusty nivea moisturiser have completely cleared my face, and I'm no longer suffering from under the skin spots. This small start to skincare has shown me that you don't need to break the bank to see results, and I really would recommend this to everyone. The one pictured above is for dry/sensitive skin, hence the word 'gentle' on the back - a necessity for my rubbish skin.

I love using this product and can see it easily becoming a staple, do you have any skincare items you'd recommend?

Shoot it, place it, case it...

What a long week it has been and a stressful one at that! Sorry for not posting since Tuesday, i've decided to have my posting days as a Monday and Thursday from now on so that I can keep to a regular structure. I've been so busy at nursery placement, work, and college.. along with completing my first assignment handed in today that I just have not had time to sit down and write a post for my blog (or barely time to sit down at all!!) With a blog schedule I hope to stick to it and therefore have a constant flow of posts on my blog.. we shall see!!
I love the motto for Casetify, and this is exactly what I have done. This phone case* is so beautiful and contains some of my favourite photos of me and my boyfriend, which I love having on the back of my phone. It's just a small added extra which always puts a smile on my face no matter what the situation is.. I have had previous cases from Casetify including one of Cher Lloyd (my all time favourite singer) and one which included a few of the snaps below and some others with family/friends. I love Casetify cases, one for the personal touch to your phone, but also for the amazing quality. The photo quality comes out brilliantly, but if your picture is too grainy/pixelated then Casetify will inform you of this in the design process. The cases are so durable and really do protect your phone. I was over the moon when I was contacted about reviewing another case, and with an iPhone 6 in the horizons for me.. I decided to begin designing. I don't think i'll ever get bored of my case due to the fact it holds so much personal meaning, and I think they are definitely worth investing in, especially with Christmas around the corner.. they make a wonderful gift and i've got an exclusive link where you can get $10 off the price(casetify work in dollars, but you can easily convert this into your currency). Visit: this invite link in order to qualify for the $10 off! Thank you, Casetify for providing me with yet another wonderful phone case, which I highly doubt will be my last.. shoot it place it case it after all!

 All items marked with an * are sent from companies to review, this by no means affects the review you are reading, as this is my own personal views of what I have kindly been gifted.