A few favourites!

Hello guys! :) 

I've seriously missed blogging, I really don't know where I've been with it all to be honest. Well firstly, I went to back to work after 10 lovely days off *groans* but nevertheless, I AM BACK. With my swish new laptop might I add! I've only had it a couple of days but it is honestly the best item I have bought! I saved and saved for the new Macbook pro, and it is finally mine! I absolutely loveeeee it. 

I have an odd blog post today, its sort of a favourites...but a mini version? I'm sure there will still be a April favourites at the end of this month! But lately, i've been trying not to divulge into new products I'm seeing and rekindle an old love with products I already have. One of these is the Urban Decay 'Naked On The Run' palette. When I bought this it was almost an impulse 'I need an urban decay palette and this will be the one' Which I kind of regret doing because I'm now lusting after the Naked Original palette but heeeey. I kept putting this palette to the back of my collection, and the reason for that was because I was buying more and more products which were so similar to the products already in this palette...So my initial thinking was "well why would I use that...when I have this?" bad habits, bad habits. ANYWAY - I've told myself I must get some use out of it and I'm loving it already! I think its so easy when you're a make up hoarder *cough, like me* to forget about good products and push items to the back of your drawer, because they're simply replaced with the newest product on the market. 

So starting with eyes, as previously stated I rekindled my love for my gorgeous palette. 

Now if you had asked me about 2 or less years ago, ever fancy wearing some eyeshadow? I would have looked at you in disgust and just shunned you. Joking, bit dramatic. But seriously, eyeshadow was never something I desired or ever wanted to wear...at all. It all sort of began when I began watching youtube videos and actually saw how nice it looked and how beautiful you can really make it. Now, I absolutely love them and I simply want them all. I'm a neutral, bronzey eyeshadow kinda gal... and this palette simply has them all. Its an eyeshadow lovers dream basically. You have colours perfect for the lid and perfect for the crease to create an amazing smokey eye. Seeing as it was quite expensive for me anyway, I have a feeling some people will be thinking..."its not that expensive to be honest" but oh well, to me its something I actually want to get use out of and make it worth the money I spent.  The colours are so well pigmented and buttery they blend like a dream. However, it does come with many other products too which just makes me think WHY ARE YOU NOT USING THIS PALETTE? I am using the Urban Decay 'Perversion' mascara that it comes with though, which I love with all my heart. Hands down one of the best mascaras I have ever used, when It runs out I sure as hell am going to purchase the full size. I also use quite frequently the '24/7 glide on eyepencil' that it comes with, its insanely pigmented and stays on all day. Now... The lipgloss that comes within this set...I don't know what it is, I just cannot get on well with them. I think its purely because any that i've ever had have always been sticky and uncomfortable to wear. I have never actually worn this on my lips when I've gone out, I've always put it on...then taken it off immediately... I quite like the colour...just not lip glosses. Finally, this palette also includes a bronzer, blush and a highlight. I'm trying to leave my Benefit Hoola Bronzer in my make up bag, but it just stares at me begging to be used. But i'm getting there. 

Carrying on with the 'would you ever wear...' theme... Eyeliner. Liquid..liner? Are you kidding? I would have laughed, now i've sat in my room infront of a mirror so many times I couldn't count, trying to do liquid liner. And it just wouldn't of worked for me. And I truly believe it now when people say 'it takes practice' my god it takes practice. Unless your a wizard and are just born with the skill. But I picked up a much talked about Liner the 'LOreal Super liner' I love this so much, I just love it. Its so easy to apply and stays on all day. Theres nothing else that I can say apart from its crazy affordable too. 

I've also been on the hunt for a new powder, I've seen this product reviewed a few places in the blogging world, but I thought I would give it a go. Its the 'Maybelline Matte Maker' in the shade 'natural beige' I love this powder, I think its my new favourite. Infact it is my new favourite. There isn't enough good things I could say about this, it pro-longs my foundation on my face but also does what it says on the tin...a mattifying powder, it doesn't fail on giving me the look I want! 

Being a bad make up lover, I got a tad lazy with highlight. I've recently put it back into my weekend make up routine and I'd forgotten how much I'd loved it! I'm back in-love with my Make Up revolution 'Baked Highlighter' in the shade 'Peach Lights'. 

And  finally, I've been on the hunt for a new body scrub and I've found a holy grail. Its the Soap and Glory 'Pulp Friction' Firstly, this smells incredible. There are no words. But it leaves your skin so smooth and flakey-skin free. I also use this on my face sometimes, which I know isn't the desired use. But wow this product is incredible! 

Have you got any early April favourites? I'd love to know :) 

Love, Lauren xx

Trip to Brighton - Beauty Essentials!

Hey loves! Today marks the start of my many days off from work, and I'm currently l-o-v-i-n-g it! Can I always have Mondays off? Anyway, I'm off to Brighton this week with my gorgeous other half, and its safe to say I'm so so excited! I've always wanted to go to Brighton, and from all the pictures I've seen it looks so beautiful! I'm extremely excited to see/ take some pictures of some beach huts (its the little things in life ay?) So I thought i'd write a post on what I'm going to take with me beauty wise! I love reading these kinds of post because it gives me such good ideas as on what to take if I was going to go? I'm also super nosy and love seeing whats in peoples bags/make up bags. But hey, who isn't?

When I was prowling (yes, prowling) the aisles of Boots, I came across my one of my favourite sections...Soap & Glory. Now I always have to lug my 500ml Tresemme shampoo and conditioner with me whenever I stay round Jacks. They're amazing products, just not all that practical to travel with. So when I was hunting down a body scrub in this section, I came across these mini baby shampoo and conditioners from their range. Not only did I buy them because they were mini and the most adorable thing. But also because they're so lightweight and will take up practically no space. I also picked up their mini shower gel version too, because I mean normal size shower gel isn't light either.

Now when It comes to perfumes I'm a kinda go big or go home kinda gal. So for my trip i'm choosing Lady Gaga's 'Black Fluid' perfume, one of my absolute favourites. I've always found when I've carried samples around with me, they run out so quick and I just wish I'd brought a full sized one with me. Now this one isn't all that heavy so I often have it in my hand bag anyway so I can spritz away when I feel like I need to. Always choose a perfume you're used to wearing and that you know you like, there is nothing worse than taking a product away that is new to you, and it turns out you hate it. Then you're kinda stuck. Who would wanna be in that situation? 

Next up, carrying on with the 'packing light' theme, I've chosen my Clinique Moisture Surge moisturiser, Now I got this when I bought a few items from the Clinique counter in Debenhams as I wanted to try it but then didn't want to buy the full size and find out it didn't work for my skin. Damn you sensitive skin. I've had this for such a long time now, granted I haven't used it everyday as I switch it up with my Clarins Hydra-Quench Moisturiser, but that is one HEFTY tub. This is a small mini pot which is perfect for taking away. 

For the 'Make-up' part, always have a make up bag which you know will hold everything in. No one likes the struggle of trying to zip up a make up bag which just ain't gonna zip. I chose my Victoria Secret one 1) Because its too pretty to not love and 2) It holds all ma goodies.

So I'm taking away my current favourite foundation which is the Rimmel True Match, again take away a product which you know you love and you know matches your skin so thats one thing you wont have to worry about in photos and things. Now I've chosen three shadows to take with me which I know are neutral and can be worn in different ways, I find this easier than taking a great big palette with me when I probably already know what colours I want to use. 

I chose MAC 'all that glitters' and MAC 'charcoal brown' following with Maybelline Colour Tattoo in 'on and on bronze'. For lips I carried on with the neutral theme with my Topshop lipliner in 'ceramic' and my Nars Velvet Matte Pencil in 'Bahama'. 

Two colours which could with every outfit. I then packed my Bodyshop Pore Minimiser primer, because I'll be in Brighton I want my make up to last all day so that I won't have to touch it up often. 

Then followed by my favourite mascara at the moment which is the Max Factor 'Transform' mascara and my Natural Collection Mineral Powder. No make up is done without brows, so I packed my Make Up Revolution 'Focus & Fix' kit, cant do my eyebrows without this. Lastly a new purchase, my Maybelline Age Rewind concealer which I love! And my trusty faithful Hoola bronzer by Benefit.

Hope you enjoyed this post, what are your 'trip away' beauty essentials? 

Mini Make Up Revolution Haul

Hello lovelies :) Today I am off sick from work from the lovely change in the English weather which has given me a cold. Yummy. So I thought I'd take this day to be productive on my blog :) I'm no stranger to Make Up Revolution products, I absolutely love love love them. They're such good value for money, i'm finding it hard to go back to buying high end products? As much as I want them, its hard to justify the prices when brands like Make Up Revolution exists. However, I don't feel this way for all of my products that I use on my face, some products I'll always stick to high end no matter what. 

Goodness me the rambling. I thought I'd try a few more products from their range... I also have the reviews on my Whats in my make-up bag? post :) 

Lets get started with Lipstick, I chose two shades out of their massive collection of lippies and two very different shades at that. Firstly, I chose a lipstick from their new #Liphug range which are only £2.50! I chose a beautiful nude to begin with in the shade "Not giving up"  

This is a great nude which will go perfect with any smokey eye, its really pigmented and easy to apply. For the price its amazing at how pigmented it really is? This is a perfect lipstick to go in your handbag as you know it will go with any outfit! Apart from its staying power which most lipsticks struggle with, it does have to be reapplied frequently, however for the price its totally worth pulling it back out of your make up bag. 

The second lipstick I picked up was more of a autumnal wintery shade called "Keeps the planet spinning" 

Its a beautiful light berry toned lipstick which is going to be perfect for the colder season I can tell. Just like 'Not giving up' it is super pigmented and so easy to apply, it feels so moisturizing and lovely on your lips. And its not very sheen either which is what I prefer in a lipstick personally. I would totally recommend picking up these two lipsticks or certainly looking at their range, I know I will be definitely repurchasing more colours. I'll leave some swatches below so you can see the shades and what colours they really look like.

Now onto face products! YAY.

I always thought I'd be a Benefit Hoola bronzer gal for life or no bronzer at all. Until I tried Make up Revolution Baked Bronzer in "Golden Days". I originally thought when I purchased this that it was going to be ridiculously shimmery and way too much for me to pull off. When I put it on for the first time I soon discovered it is buildable, if you want a light flush of bronze then its totally doable, but it also looks gorgeous if you build it up some more. It has the smallest amount of shimmer in it which I can handle and actually looks okay on my skin and works really well as a contour shade too. I love this bronzer and it makes a nice change from  my Benefit Hoola bronzer too. Reccomend it highly! 

Moving on to highlight, I purchased the Baked Highlighter in "Peach Lights" When I first got this out of the box I just  thought I think this is the most beautiful thing I have ever layed eyes on? As for appication...

I wasn't so sure on this at first, as it takes a long time to build up and I couldn't notice it very well on my skin. And I wasn't sure if I was adding too much and then would notice later on the day "Oh my god what HAVE I done to my face...?" Or maybe it looked alright?  I'm not so sure on this product so far, I'll keep trying it though, maybe I just need to practice some more! 

And Finally, Powder!

I picked up the "Porcelain soft pink" Pressed powder. Now I've always switched between Rimmel London Stay Matte Powder or Mac Mineralize skin finish. So I thought I'd give this a try, and I am really surprised at how pigmented it is! I'm yet to test its staying power on my face but I'll let you know how that goes. So far I'm very impressed with the pigmentation of this powder and how light and silky it feels on the skin. Also, is it really lame that I love how the product opens aswell? It just slides out of the outer packaging and comes with this cute little sponge which I might actually try aswell instead of a brush. EXCITING TIMES.

Have you had a look at Make Up Revolutions collection? Comment below and tell me what you think! 

The Body Shop - Colour Crush Eyeshadows

Hey guys! :)
I hope you're all good :) I thought i'd do a little review today on The Body Shop Colour crush eyeshadows, I only have two for now but I certainly want to get some more!

I've heard so many things about The Body Shop make up range, and these were the first products I ever tried from the range. I've always struggled finding a neutral colour that doesn't look odd on my skin tone which gave a natural nude smokey eye. But when I researched into these and watched all the tutorials on how to create the look, I was pleasantly surprised.  

They recommended shade "Sand by me" for the allover base, and "Caramel Flirt" for the crease and outer corner. 

I found that if you build it up the first shade 'Sand by me', it really creates a natural finish which is perfect if you're wanting a nude look. Its really easy to apply and I works so so well with the combining shade Caramel flirt, it really comes together when you put them together. I really like how the name of the shadow links with the colour, it is a sandy creamy colour - which is perfect for a base on probably lots of different looks not just nude/natural.

When applying the second shade Caramel flirt, it can be really buildable if you apply a small amount at a time, but also if you don't tap off the excess and apply a lot onto your brush it gets harder to blend. Unlike Sand by me which is matte, this eye shadow has slight shimmer in it and its an absolutely stunning light brown which is perfect for the crease. The colour is super pigmented and is totally worth the price of £7.00 - I seriously recommend this eye shadow collection from The Body Shop for every skin tone.

For the base of my eyeshadow when I'm creating this look, I'll usually use a MAC 217, or my Zoeva Luxe Soft definer and then for the crease i'll use Zoeva Luxe Petite Crease or MAC 217 which is perfect for blending in the crease.

I cannot wait to try more from their range! 

Has anyone else tried The Body Shop make up collection? What do you guys think?

Whats in my make up bag ♥

Hello, hope you're all well :)
I haven't posted since the 3rd of February! I'm super annoyed about that, but by being in a full time job, doing coursework and applying to Universities it is hard to find spare time to breathe! By making this blog I wanted to write about my passions for make up and just general things I experience. I decided that 2015 would be a year of challenges and opportunities so I'm going to try really hard to fit in blog posts. I even bought a notebook to write all my blog ideas...I'm so useless!
ANYWAY- back to whats in my make up bag :)

Okay, so I've wanted a  Victoria Secret makeup bag for ages now, I finally purchased one when I ventured to London with my best friend in December *insert cute photo below*

So i'll start with concealer - After reading loads of reviews about this concealer I purchased this around December 2014 I think and I love it! Its the Rimmel London 'Wake me up' Concealer

This concealer provides a lot of coverage for under the eyes and is great for making your eyes look much brighter and awake. I have the shade Ivory which is lighter than my foundation to give that highlighted look, Its also super affordable?

Following on from concealer, next up is foundation! Now if anyone knows me at all, they know I'm obsessed with MAC foundations. I origianlly began the obsession with the MAC prolong-wear foundation, but then was persuaded by MAC studio fix by their lovely make up artists doing my make up for prom :) Now, MAC make up isn't the cheapest thing around but it sure is worth the money. Depending on your skin type depends on which one will probably suit you better, the studio fix provides medium to full coverage and is super easy to blend. A foundation I will always reach for above all others :) 

Next up is bronzer... For a while, I had no idea what bronzer even was or even how to apply it. But after talking with friends and watching hundreds and hundreds of make up tutorials on YouTube it is a staple in my make up bag. I never do my make up without it! What must I have looked like before...probably a ghost. The Benefit Hoola bronzer is my go to bronzer each day, I think it could suit any skin tone and is so easy to blend onto the skin. 

I recently purchased a set of Zoeva make up brushes which I have heard so so many great things about! And let me just say, they do not disappoint. I bought the Rose Golden Luxury Set - I have never come across such beautiful brushes in my life! Plus, they're rose gold, so how can you not love them? The brushes are so soft and apply the make up so so well! It makes the price so reasonable, I would recommend them to anyone! I don't take the whole set of brushes with me in my make up bag, but majority of them are taken..just minus about two? haha. Also included in my brushes for my make up bag are Mac 217 and Mac 266 Brushes, I use the Mac 217 for blending eye shadow in my crease and the Mac 266 for filling in my eyebrows.

The Make Up Revolution Flawless Ultra 32 Shade Palette - This palette is incredible, it has 32 amazing shades which you can create any look with! Its also £8 which is an amazing price, for so many shadows which are really pigmented and easy to blend. I use this palette to create most of my eye looks as it has so many to choose from all in one palette :)

Make Up Revolution Eyebrow Focus & Fix Kit - This little eyebrow kit is wonderful for someone just starting filling in their eyebrows (which was me only about a month ago haha) I've watched so many tutorials on how to fill in eyebrows, but the thought of doing my own absolutely terrified me. But I finally went for it and bought this palette, it was super cheap but so good? It contains 3 brow powders which are perfect for whatever your brow colour, and it comes with a wax which you can set your eyebrows in place. Plus, its only 2.50? and I use the Mac 266 brush to fill in my eyebrows with this palette. It also comes with a mini set of tweezers and a mini applicator for the wax. (I've lost the tweezers hence why they aren't in the photo haha)

Now onto Lashes! I recently bought the Urban Decay "On The Run" Palette, and included in it was the Urban Decay 'Perversion' Mascara - I got a mini version of the mascara within the palette but before even getting the mascara I'd already heard loads of good things about it.  The mascara really lengthens  my lashes and separates them, it adds so much volume and makes my lashes look great! Would recommend it to anyone looking for a new mascara!

Next onto Powders - For a long time I used MAC Mineralize Skin finish to set my foundation, but then I purchased Rimmel London Stay Matte Pressed powder. I love both these powders, they provide a lot of coverage and create a lovely matte look :) So sometimes i'll use the Rimmel powder, and then other days i'll use the MAC powder, so I like to keep both in my bag just incase! :) 

I don't always wear this within my normal make up routine, I only usually do it for a special occasion or if I have loads of time to just doss about and do my make up haha :) It is the Urban Decay Super-Saturated Ultra Intese Cream Eyeliner (possibly the longest name for a product I have ever come across haha!) Before I bought this product, I tried using liquid eyeliners and I just could not hack them. No matter how many times I practiced, me and liquid eyeliners just aren't friends. So I tried this cream eyeliner, and I found it was so so much easier to apply with a brush! I would definitely reccomend it to anyone who struggles with liquid eyeliner. I apply this product with either The Real Techniques Sillicone Liner brush or the Zoeva Wing Liner brush.

Carrying on with eyeliner, for Christmas I was bought the Body Shop Carbon Eye definer - I love using this product as eyeliner, its so easy to apply and creates a much softer look than liquid or gel eyeliner and also a lot less messy haha :) I also recommend this product to anyone struggling with eyeliner as an alternative, or to change your usual eye look for something different.

I hope you enjoyed this post and maybe found some new products to buy for your make up bag