My 2014 Favourites - Part 2

Hey guys, so this is Part 2 of my 2014 favourites! This post will consist of my favourite tools, skincare and hair care of the year! Part 1 was all of my makeup favourites and you can see that here (or you can just scroll down to the previous post).

I did a skincare routine not so long ago here and I did mention that I love using the Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Oil everyday to take my makeup off and to just give the skin a good cleanse and I literally use this product every single day, I only use one or two pumps for my whole face and it breaks down any waterproof makeup amazingly! 

Another cleanser that I like using is the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water. This is my second bottle of this stuff because it is just amazing at taking your makeup off with a cotton pad if you don't want to go into the bathroom and use a cleansing oil. I alternate between this and the cleansing oil but if I have a lot of makeup on then I would use this then follow up with the cleansing oil.

So onto hair care, I have really been loving the L'Oreal Ever Riche Hair Mask, I use this product one a week instead of a conditioner and it honestly works miracles for my hair! It makes my hair feel so soft and so easy to brush I can really see a difference when I use it or not.

I have really struggled with dry Shampoo's in the past because I have tried so many but all of them just never seemed to work for me and they used to make my roots really hurt, so when Ruth Crilly released her dry shampoo range I really wanted to try but I was scared so I went for a mini size and I have to say I love this dry shampoo! It refreshes my hair like I've just had a shower and it's completey invisible! I have a full reveiw on it here.

Most of my tools I have been loving this year do come from Real Techniques as they just have amazing products! I have done a makeup brush collection here. My top brushes that I have used this year are: RT Blush Brush - I use this brush for literally everything, for powder, bronzer and blush and it just works amazingly at applying anything! RT Buffing Brush - I just love using this for any foundation/bb cream, it just buffs the product really nicely into the skin and makes it look flawless! RT Contour Brush - This brush fits perfectly into the hollows of my cheeks and it allows me to get a really nice contour with any product! Mac 217 Brush - I love this brush for applying and blending eye shadow, I mainly use it to blend out any eye shadow and its just so soft and gentle on the eye it leaves not harsh lines when blending eye shadow! RT Base Shadow Brush - This brush is great at applying eye shadow and if needed to blend as well, its a bit more stiff than the Mac 217 so that's why I prefer it to apply eye shadow! RT Detailer Brush - This brush is very useful to have in your collection as it can do a lot of things, I like to use it to highlight the inner corners of the eye, to highlight the brow bone and I sometimes use it as a lip brush so it is a very handy brush! RT Miracle Complexion Sponge - I love this sponge for concealer and foundation, if you read my 'how to get a flawless under eye post' here you will know that I will not apply my concealer with anything else than this because it makes the concealer look so natural and it will soak up any excess product if you apply too much and same goes for foundation!

So that is all of my 2 part 2014 favourites!

 ♥

1 Year Anniversary Giveaway!

Hey guys, so to celebrate the 1 year anniversary of my blog and to thank you all for sticking with me and supporting me by regularly coming back to read my blog I thought I would do a giveaway! HURRAY! I am SO excited to do this giveaway so lets get onto what you are in for to win! 

 

 

Today I am giving away 2 eye shadow pallets by Sleek, one on Twitter and one on Instagram. I am a big fan of Sleek so I am sure you will love these eye shadows!

 

So this is how you can win:

 

To enter the Twitter giveaway you have to Tweet using the hash tag #beautilygiveaway and you have to include a link to my blog!

To enter the Instagram giveaway you have to take screenshot of this post (or anything related to my blog) and also use the hash tag #beautilygiveaway

 

You can enter both if you want and you can enter as many times as you like and that will of course give you more chance of winning!

I will be picking and announcing the winner on Sunday 1st February, so you have plenty of time to enter! This giveaway is UK only.

 

Good Luck to all of you and THANK YOU!

 ♥

My 2014 Favourites - Part 1

 

Hey guys! I honestly can't believe how fast this year has gone, it seems like just a yesterday when it was January and 2014 had just started! But the end of the year means a 2014 favourites, these are the products that I have loved all year round and will most likely continue to use and repurchase. I am doing a 2 part favourites post as there are just too much products to fit into one post so this is going to be all makeup, check back on Wednesday for tools, skincare and hair care!

 

 

So we'll start off with the base, the foundation I have been loving all year has been the Mac Face and Body Foundation. This has just been my go to foundation for any occasion, it has light to medium coverage which I like and its super light weight on the skin, its also very buildable and it looks super natural and dewy on the skin.

I don't think its any surprise that my favourite concealer this year has been the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer. I absolutely love this concealer as it provides a very natural finish, its super easy to blend and it has very good coverage. I have a whole rave on this concealer here. I much prefer this concealer to the ever so famous Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer which I have a love/hate relationship with.

For powder I actually have a fairly recent purchase but it is by far the best powder I have tried this year and it is the Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder. This powder I so finely milled and it just gets rid of any un wanted shine but it leaves you with a beautiful healthy glow, I have done a full review on this powder recently here.

 

 

A blush that I have loved this year has been the NYX Blush in Mocha. I really like the formula of these blushes and I am just in love with the colour of this blush, its like a muted pink shade and it literally goes with every look!

I have two bronzers that I have loved this year for two different purposes. The first one is the Body Shop Honey Bronzer. This bronzer is my go to bronzer that I use every day as it is the most natural looking bronzer I have tried, it looks super natural on the skin and it is not orangey at all!

The second bronzer I have comes in a sample size and it is the Benefit Hoola Bronzer. This came in a box set that I bought a while ago and I love this bronzer for contouring, it gives me a really nice and natural contour but personally I much prefer using my other Body Shop Bronzer for an all over bronze.

 

 

Now onto eyes and lips. For eye shadow my favourites would definitely be the Artist Of Makeup Eye Shadows. These eye shadows are so buttery smooth and extremely pigmented, they are really easy to blend and I would definitely recommend them! I have a full review on them here.

For lips I have two products which are the Rimmel Lip Liner in Eastend Snob and the Tanya Burr Lip Gloss in Champagne Toast. If you haven't seen already I did a signature lip post a few weeks ago here including these two products. The lip liner is so pigmented and so creamy it just glides onto the lip and the lip gloss (I have a full review on the Tanya Burr Lip Glosses Here) is not sticky at all and it is really nicely pigmented.

As you can see I haven't mentioned a mascara or eyeliner as I haven't found one that I have absolutely loved so if you have any recommendations then please leave them below. 

 

So I really hope you have all had an amazing year and check back on Wednesday for part 2 of my 2014 favourites. :-)

♥

 

My Sylvie Quentin Wish List!

Hey guys, so I recently found this online shop Sylvie Quentin and on this website it has a mix of different fashion brands and I must say their items are absolutely beautiful! So I thought I would share with you the items from this online shop that are on my wish list! 

 

This is my first pick and its the Pink Blazer by Soaked In Luxury. I think this piece will be really nice on top of a really nice simple top (which is my next pick), you can make it very smart and pair it with some trousers or you can make it slightly more casual with some patterned leggings.

 

Everyone needs a simple plain white top as it is just a staple piece in any wardrobe so the next item on my wish list is this White Chiffon Top by Relish. This top would go really nicely with that pink blazer I just showed, In some cases I would simplicity is the key but to add a little something to the outfit I would pair a beautiful statement necklace with this outfit.

 

I am a big fan of sheer tops because I simply love how they look layered or alone so this Black Sheer Shirt by Soaked In Luxury really stood out to me. I really like the pattern on this shirt too so it isn't just plain. If I was to wear this outfit out I would go for an 'all black look' with black jeans although I would pair it with statement belt.

 

As much as I love simple I also love pattern including Aztec prints so this Black and White Dress By Soaked In Luxury really caught my eye. I feel like this is a very versatile dress as you can put on some heels and dress it up or you can put on a jacket and some flats and dress it down. Either way it would look beautiful!

 

I really adore the monochrome trend so this Monochrome Dress By Aaiko appealed to me as it is something that I would definitely wear a lot! I would say it is a very classy dress and if I was to wear this I would stick to black and white everything.

So they are some of the pieces from Sylvie Quentin that is on my wish list, I really like a lot of the stuff on there and I would definitely recommend checking their website out because although it is pricey, they have some really nice things.

Remember I am doing 2 posts a week in December so make sure you come back on Sunday and Wednesday!

♥

Top 2 Christmas Eye shadows & Lipsticks!

You may or may not know that I don't celebrate Christmas hence the reason why I haven't don't many festive posts but I do know that many people do celebrate Christmas so today I am sharing with you my top 2 Christmas eye shadows and lipsticks.   

 

 

So to begin with we have the Artist Of Makeup Eye Shadow in St Tropez. This eye shadow is a really nice bronzy gold colour and its also got a beautiful shimmer running through it, if you want a true gold vibrant colour than I would go for the shade Gold Leaf.  I have a full review on these eye shadows here.

 

 

The next eye shadow I have is the Mac Eye Shadow in Wood winked. This eye shadow I would recommend for them who want to go super natural but still want that bronzy colour on their eye, this is by far the most natural bronzy gold eye shadow I have ever come across.

 

 

Onto the lipsticks and here we have the L'Oreal Lipstick in 461. This lipstick is a really nice light red colour, I would it is a true red but it you sheer it down then you can make it a pinky red. Its super pigmented and really easy to apply, if you have trouble applying red lipstick then start off with a lip liner.

 

 

Here I have a liquid lipstick by NYX in Absolute Red. This is a slightly darker red then the L'Oreal one and once again its super pigmented and you can really build on the colour with this to get a really nice dark red shade.

 

 

 

Now these are the swatches for all the products that I showed in this post. Starting from the top we have the Artist Of makeup St Tropez - Mac Wood winked - L'Oreal 461 - NYX Absolute Red.

Remember I am doing 2 posts a week in December so make sure you come back on Wednesday and Sunday!

♥ 

My Hair Care Routine!

I have noticed that my hair has just been really good recently compared to how it used to be and I feel like it is down to my hair care routine and the products that I am using in my hair.

 

 

So lets start right from the beginning, when I hop into the shower my shampoo and conditioner of choice is the VO5 Give Me Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner. I am a huge fan of the give me moisture line because I feel like it really does what it says. Just for reference I do have dry hair so anything that is aimed towards dry hair I will instantly try. This shampoo and conditioner combo really makes my hair feel super soft and not dry at all, I have not tried a combo like this that is actually really effective.

 

 

One a week I also like to use a hair mask in place of a conditioner and the one I have been loving recently which I am nearly out of is the L'Oreal Ever Riche Intense Hair Mask. This hair mask is really nice and once again it is aimed towards dry hair so it is super intensive and moisturising for your hair and I really love this product and I know for I fact I will be repurchasing this when I am out!

 

 

After I finish in the shower, when I get out I like to wrap my hair in a towel for about half an hour then I go onto spritzing a bit of the Aussie Miracle Recharge Moisture Infuser Leave in Conditioner -longest name ever-. The reason why I use this after I have already used a conditioner is mainly just for extra moisture for my hair, I just spray a bit of this into my hair and my hair is then ready to be brushed. This is a really nice product and it does help with my dry hair and with detangling my hair so it is easier to be brushed.

 

 

I also have super frizzy hair so my hair is pretty hard to manage so to tame the frizz slightly I like to use the John Frieda Frizz-Ease Extra Strength Serum. If I'm honest this product hasn't exactly worked miracles for my hair but it has helped slightly to tame the frizz slightly and make it a bit more manageable. 

 

So that is all the products in my hair care routine which my hair has been loving!

Remember I am doing 2 posts a week in December so make sure you come back on Sunday and Wednesday!

♥

My Daily Fitness Routine!



This is quite a different post to what I normally do but I thought you might want a break from all the beauty stuff! I like to do some sort of fitness and exercise every day to make sure I am fit and its also a way to get myself off my phone and do some good to myself.

 

I recently downloaded this app called 'Squats' and it is basically like an online personal fitness trainer like it says. When you first download the app it asks you to do as many squats as you can (I could only do around 60) and then it makes a plan for the next few days of how many squats you do based on what you got to begin with, and the end of each day it will ask you if you found it easy, alright or hard. If you found it easy then you will move up to doing more squats in a day, if you found it alright you will stay on the same stage and if you found it hard you will move down a stage. You can also set a notification every day so it can remind you to do it so that is a bonus!

 

 

The two exercises I like to do every day are squats and sit ups. The reason why I like to do these two exercises is because squats work on the lower half of the body and sit ups work on the top half of the body so together I will get the best of both worlds. So you may be think 'why does she need to use an app to do them?' well my answer is because the app counts how many squats you do and it pushes you to do more and more every day and it records everything you do and it also shows how many calories you have lost.

 

 

So that is basically it! This is what I do on a day to day basis to make sure I am up and doing something to get into shape.

 

*this is not a sponsored post*

Remember I am doing 2 posts a week in December so make sure you come back on Sunday and Wednesday!

♥

School Touch-Ups!

So if you are in school like me and you have P.E lessons then you might want to touch up your makeup slightly afterwards if you feel like you get really shiny or you feel like your makeup has just faded off your skin. Even if you don't have P.E that day but you still just feel like you need to touch up at lunchtime then I will just show what essentials you may want to take!

 

 

To start off with I think the obvious one would be powder. Powder can get rid of any shine you have throughout the day and after sports I always feel like I need to put some powder on to make sure all my makeup doesn't just disappear off my face.

 

 

Next I would say a concealer is a good choice to take because if something suddenly pops up on your face throughout the day then I would assume that you may want to cover it and some of your makeup has faded then you can just put a bit of concealer in that area and set it with some powder.

 

 

You may also want to take a tinted lip balm with you if you want a hint of colour on your lips and a bit of moisture throughout the day because especially in the winter you need that moisture on your lips to prevent them from getting chapped.

So they are my essentials that I always carry around with me at school, you can take some other products if you would like to e.g. mascara, eyeliner etc.

Remember I am doing 2 posts a week in December so make sure you come back on Wednesday and Sunday!

♥



My New Favourite!

So a few weeks I went shopping and I don't think I have ever been on a shopping trip without picking up some sort of beauty product. Last week that beauty product was the Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder (I also bought two eyeshadow pallets for a giveaway coming up in January!). I had heard plenty of people talk and rave about this powder and I can seriously see why!

 

 

The powder is just so ultra-fine and it just feels so soft. I completely agree with what it claims to do - gives a matte finish with a natural healthy glow -. It also claims to last for 10 hours which I think it might be an hour or so off but for a days wear its great. I feel like this product is great if you are going for that 'no makeup, makeup look' because if the foundation you are wearing is a really nice dewy foundation (which I do like) it doesn't look particularly natural in some lights so putting this powder on top will just get rid of any unwanted shine and leave a natural healthy glow which I am currently obsessed with! I cannot recommend this powder enough, weather you have oily or dry skin this powder will look great on you and it definitely does not leave that horrible 'cake face' look.

Do you have a favourite powder you think I should try?

  

 

Remember I am doing 2 posts a week in December so make sure you come back on Sunday and Wednesday!

♥

The Amazing Artist Of Makeup Eyeshadows!

 

I have been waiting since Artist Of Makeup was released about a year ago to order some of their products. I knew they were going to be good as they wear created from scratch by an amazing makeup artist and YouTube beauty guru Zukreat, she has an amazing channel and I have been waiting for so long to try out her products and I finally got round to ordering some eye shadows a few weeks ago and I have to say, I was not disappointed at all!

 

 

I bought the 9 pallet with 6 eye shadows to start off with so I can build up my pallet slowly and these eye shadows are everything you would probably want to put on your eyelids, they're just all sorts of awesome. They are so nice and buttery smooth, the pigmentation in insane and colours are beautiful! As you can see I did go for mostly neutral colours because they are the most wearable and I literally cannot get enough of these eye shadows! You get more product in there than you get in mac and I truly believe they are much better quality than mac as well. I can't wait to order some more products from AOM, the contour sticks and the foundation are on my list to get next!

 

Overall I am super impressed with these eye shadows and I would 100% recommend them to anyone!

Remember I am doing 2 posts a week in December so make sure you come back on Sunday and Wednesday!

♥