Back to Bronze

Spring and summer definitely send a signal to my make-up caves and call upon the bronze heroes to stand to attention. Winter's a great time to give the berry coloured items some loving, but if there is one thing that works throughout summer it is definitely the bronze!

For a nice simple bronze cheek offering I definitely suggest you pick up the Nars Multiple in South Beach. The perfect consistency to just blob onto your face and gently blend it. It has a slight shimmer running through it which means it catches the sun perfectly and leaves you feeling ever so glowy and bronzed. However, if matte is more your thing thang than I definitely suggest Benefit's Hoola. It isn't too orange, but definitely has a darkness too it that many other bronzers don't have. It's the perfect contour or all over 'I've tanned' colour. Finally for cheeks, if you're a pale person who just wants a bit of colour, without looking like they've rolled in Wotsits I highly recommend the Clarins Bronzing Duo in Light. I've harped on about this product plenty but seriously, I love it. 

For eyes cream bases seem to be the way forward for me, simple and fuss free which means you have more time to enjoy the limited sunshine. A quick wash of bronze that isn't too dark and really compliments a tan has to the Bad to the Bronze from Maybelline Colour Tattoo. It gives a lovely wash to your eye that isn't overpowering but still compliments any tan perfectly. If you want something a little darker, this pencil from Rimmel Scandaleyes is your guy. The perfect rusty bronze colour in my opinion. I prefer it a little blended as it can look a bit OTT on me, but if you like warm colours I think you'll love it. Finally, for a bit of liner Powersurge by MAC is your guy. I seriously love this liner, it works as a shadow too. What more could you want?

What are your favourite bronze products?

Laura xoxo

Review: L'Oreal Colour Riche L'Extraordinaire in Rose Melody

Ah, yet another glossy liquid lipstick has landed on our highstreet. The L'Oreal Colour Riche L'Extraordinaire have definitely done their rounds on many a people's blog, and for some reason I was drawn to them.

Last summer definitely saw me have a love affair with the Rimmel Appocalips and I thought I'd see how L'Oreal's version compared.

I'm pretty sure that L'Oreal and YSL are owned by the same person or something so it's not surprising that the packaging is similar is to the YSL glossy stains, especially the applicator. I personally prefer the packaging of this product to the Rimmel counterparts, it has a slightly classier edge, however it's a bit bulky.

I picked up the colour Rose Melody which was the most pinkish nude of the selection. It is definitely a 'me' colour at the moment. I keep gravitating toward peachy pink nudes, that do a 'your lips but better'.

The applicator makes the product easy to apply and due the the colour I picked you can apply it easily without a mirror. Whilst the colour is really opaque, it doesn't feel heavy or overly glossy on the lips. The shine makes it feel really nourishing and compared to the Rimmel ones it definitely feels much better for your lips, however the Rimmel ones I would glass as a liquid lipstick, whereas this is more lipgloss territory.

I really love this product, but I'm now left wondering, which colour do I pick up next?

Have you tried this? What do you think?

Laura xoxo

Beginning to Budget

When I first got into blogging I was in the middle of university so had a hefty student loan grace my bank account at the start of each month and lived slap bang in the middle of pretty good town centre. These two really don't mix, as I always found a reason to go have a mooch around the shops; 'I'll just go for a little walk around, stretch my legs,' 'oh I only need a few things,' 'I'm just going to Sainsbury's to get a banana, but there's no harm in popping into Boots' were regular sayings out of my mouth. Couple that with the fact that I was hooked to my laptop devouring blog post after blog post and watching video after video, I knew there was so much I wanted to buy. Once after watching a YouTuber rave about a product I walked into town at 6 o'clock on a Friday evening and picked it up. I was a woman obsessed.

Now that I actually earn my own money and don't have the safety of my student loan or interest free student overdraft (I actually have to pay it back now, sob! Although I've managed to pay off my overdraft in less than 6 months which I'm proud of) I've learnt to be a lot more careful with my money, and thought someone else may learn(!) from the budgeting tips and tricks I've picked up.

1) Set yourself a weekly/monthly budget and stick to it - Each time I get paid I sit down and work out how much money I want to put in savings, outgoings that will occur in the month (think phone bill and any other standing orders) and then see how much I'm left with. A then give myself a weekly budget which I use for food, petrol, meals out and the odd treat. If you are a student trying giving yourself monthly allowances rather than spending your loan all at once, it saves the beans on toast for tea meals that occur at the end of the month.

2) Set yourself a small amount for treats - Being on a budget doesn't mean you can only buy budget items. I still love treating myself to a fancy brand lipstick or blusher, but because I've budgeted it for it I get to enjoy it guilt free, which is even better. I like to see how much money I have at the end of the week and then treat myself to the item I want. Much better than buying it and having to scrimp for the rest of the week.

3) Read in-depth reviews and don't impulse buy - Hands up how many of you have purchased an item because your favourite blogger has mentioned it (raises both hands and feet too)! It happens. It's easy to get lost in a blogger hype however what works for some doesn't work for others. There are lots of bloggers whose blogs I love to read but know we don't have the same skin type/tone so I approach the products the mention with caution. However with bloggers I know have similar skin types as me I tend to focus on buying those products. If there is a product I'm thinking about trying I try to find reviews before purchase and try not to go into Boots or Selfridges without knowing what I want to buy as it stops me buying items I don't need.

4) Keep note of what you're buying/keep receipts - This is slightly anally retentive and probably not for everyone but I like to write down each night how much I've spent that day in a diary and keep track of how much money I have for the rest of the week. I also like to keep my receipts to prove to myself how much I've been spending. I great thing about keeping receipts also means that any impulse buys I make can be returned. Especially useful as I hate trying things on in shops but always used to misplace my receipts.

5) Shop your (and your friends) stash - Chances are you've already got a big stash of make-up hidden somewhere (so your mom doesn't see and shout at you)! Go through your stash and re-live some old gems, and consider how similar they are to new items you're coveting. It's really easy to think you need new items to blog about, but finding old ones and creating new features, for me, is much more appealing then reading the 100th review on the new Urban Decay palette (sorry peeps!) I also love seeing what's in other people's make-up bags, so why not see what you're friends are using too? Chances are they could have some products they no longer want and you could do a little swap?

Obviously these tips are not profound and have more than likely been said countless times before, but they are the ones that I really find have helped me focus and curb my spending. Of course I still have the odd splurge every now and again after a crappy day (or when I'm in the mood) but they're much more controlled and save me from a massive panic at the end of the month.

What are your budgeting tips?

Laura xoxo

Throwback Thursday: Back to MAC

I'll always remember when I first stumbled across Tanya Burr's YouTube channel way back in November 2011 and spent many evenings watching every video trying to soak up as much knowledge as possible. Something that cropped up in a lot of those videos was a MAC palette, and it wasn't all that long till I decided I wanted to make my own (5 months, to be exact.)

Last year I actually finished my palette (you can see a full video here) however with not wearing much make-up in the week, I don't find myself using this palette as much as I used to, or should be doing.

However, when getting ready the other night I decided to open the palette and thanked myself for building it, as it really does contain some of the nicest colours I own. Yes it does have a few 'Oh god why did I choose this' colours, but it also has some that I just love to use. Here are my top five, that I wish to share with you.

For a paler, yet still quite shimmery shade I have two recommendations. First up Patina. Now the first ever video I watched was a Bella Thorne wedding make-up tutorial and one of the eyeshadows used was Patina and from that moment one I was sure I'd own it one day. It's a gorgeous dark golden, almost burnt bronze with a subtle shimmer running through it. If you don't wish to go quite so dark, then I think you're next stop should be Era. Slightly lighter, yet still with the same finish, Era really is such an amazing colour for all over the lids. If you want a bit of definition in the crease with these shadows, may I recommend Wedge. A matte brown shade that I love either all across the lid on it's own, or the perfect contour shade. Whether you need to make a smokey eye less harsh, or you're just looking for tiny bit of definition, these are your guys.

Now for the two that are great if you want to get a little smokey. For a summer time bronzed smokey eye, Mulch is your guy. For me, this is the definition of burnt out bronze, it has the perfect array of bronze, gold and shimmer. The final shade I want to talk about goes with pretty much anything, really. Satin Taupe again is a TB enabled purchase, but is one of the most versatile shades in my palette. It's the perfect mix of brown, purple and shimmer that works with every eye shade. Whenever I'm in doubt, this always comes out (hey, I'm a poet!)

So those are my top MAC shades, what are yours?


Laura xoxo

Review: Orly Won't Chip Top Coat

You might have seen my little rave a while back all about the Orly Bonder nail polish, one of my favourite finds of the year so far, well imagine my surprise when this little goodie appeared on my door step.

The Orly Won't Chip* top coat is basically the big sister to the Bonder base coat. Together they aim to work as a superglue for your nails, ensuring they stay around for a decent amount of time, rather than just chipping off after a couple of hours.

Now, I have nails that for some reason nail varnish hates. I've never really had a manicure last longer than a couple of days, no matter what I tried, until Orly came into my life. 

They each promise to make you mani last for as long as possible and prevents chips appearing.

Both of these products really do what they say! I do think the nail varnish matters, for some I can make a manicure last for 3 days, but for some it can last over a week. Now I'm not going to say absolutely no chips appear, as I have very rubbish nails, but they make varnishes last so much longer than without them. I definitely couldn't be without these in my nail stash.

Have you tried this polish?

Laura xoxo

You can pick it up from LookFantastic here.

*This was sent to me for review purposes. All opinons and views are my own and I'm not being paid to write this post.

Everyday Items

Ever since blogging my eyes have been opened to a whole array of products that I never would've found if it wasn't for this hobby of mine. Due to that I have collated a rather large amount of products. Whilst I like to chop and change what I use on a daily basis, there are somethings I find myself using everyday without fail. 

As I don't wear make-up daily most of this list is skincare. Although my skin does get oily I try really hard to keep my hydration levels up so I use Hydraluron to keep all my moisturising products locked in. A product I use either as a day moisturiser or as an evening treatment is the Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask. It smells amazing and really does mean your skin is fully hydrated after use. When I'm not using the mask I like to use the Origins Make A Difference Plus Rejuvenating Treatment under what ever other moisturiser I'm using. It really has helped clear my skin up. At least once a day I like using the Origins Make A Difference Cleansing Milk as it is soft enough to sooth my skin whilst also harsh enough to rid blemishes too.

The final two products I reach for daily are the Batiste Dry Shampoo which helps me eek out the number of washes I have to take part in, and my deodorant of choice from Mitchum. 

So that completes my daily products. What do you use daily?

Laura xoxo

Friday Favourites: Making a House a Home

As I said in a previous post, I'm really getting into Pinterest at the moment. One of my favourite boards is my 'To Make a House a Home' board. I currently still live at home, mainly because of money reasons, but also due to the fact I really love living at home, I have a great relationship with my family and my room really is my little sanctuary (which none of my uni rooms felt like!) 

Whilst I don't have the room or capacity to have a full room switch up, nor do I really want to as I like my room, Pinterest constantly makes me want what I can't have; so recently I've been picking up new bits and bobs to add to my room. 

I picked up this little box from a shop called Store Twenty One and I've decided to use it to store all of my 'decorative' scarves. I used to keep them in an Abercrombie and Fitch bag, however it ended up looking very messy and wanted my room to look much tidier and neater. This has done the trick perfectly.

Another Store Twenty One purchase is this little wicker basket. I love having my electronics by my bed as I love reading and having my phone near me whilst I sleep. This means they're all tidy and not making a mess.

My little twig lights make my room feel so pretty and relaxing in the evening. I picked them up from £Stretcher. To keep them in place I picked up this vase from Homebase along with the marbles too.

One of my favourite things is this Teddy Bear blanket which I picked up from Dunelm Mill. It is the sofest comfiest blanket ever! Highly recommend to everyone.

Finally, these pillowcases are something I've lusted after for a long time, and just after Christmas they went into the sale so I picked them up. They're from John Lewis and I love them. I know they're the wrong way round, but I sleep on the left and prefer the colour.

Where is your favourite place to pick up home-wear?

Laura xoxo

Trying the Trend: White Nails

So, extremely badly painted nails aside (the camera has made them look worse!)  I thought I'd try the whole white nail trend a try. It's definitely something I haven't dabbled in since the awkward primary school Tipex as nail varnish days.

My weapon of choice was Pseudo Silk Kimono by Deborah Lipman*. It's a matte offering which was a first to me. I've never really used a matte polish before, the application is a bit tricky if I'm honest. You have to work fast and really layer up the product to get a decent finish (yes mine is messy!)

The matte look reminded me a bit too much of tipex nails, so I decided to use a top coat that had a bit of shine to it, and I think that made the varnish a bit more wearable for me.

Overall I think this trend is quite interesting, however, can I pull it off? I don't really think so. I do however think it would look nice with some glittery polish over the top!

What do you think?

Laura xoxo

You can pick the polish up from LookFantastic here.

*this product was sent to me for review purposes, however all opinions and views are my own and I was not paid to write this post.

The Blogging Balance

Blogging was definitely a lot easier before I went into full time employment. I'm sure many began their blog as a uni side line project and with the flexible student life it was much easier to fit in a regular blogging schedule. However when you throw in working through day light hours and the need to squeeze a lot of things into a limited time frame things can be a little tricky. I must admit it's taken me a while to adjust to the whole working and keeping a blog balance. Of course I was tempted to just stop blogging, but my blog is something I'm proud of and something I want to stick with, so I've had to figure out some ways to balance the two. Hopefully this post may help some of you too.

1) Plan ahead - I like to have at least a weeks blog posts scheduled and ready to go, with others either drafted or titles created at the minimum. I have a little diary which I like to write down and plan when and what I'm going to post about.

2) Make use of the 'notes' section in your phone - Ideas come to you at the most peculiar times and places, and if you're anything like me you'll forget them almost instantly so it's always best to write your ideas down and then come back to them (if you can remember where you wrote them, but that's a different topic really.)

3) Schedule time - Whilst being a student meant you could grab a few minutes in the day here and there to snap pictures and write posts, it's much harder when you're working 9-5. Set aside some dedicated time at the weekend and plan out the weeks posts and take bulk photos. For me photos are the hardest part to incorporate as you have to upload them to your computer and then on the post too (life's tough isn't it!)

4) Make use of free hours - I like to upload my pictures on the weekend and then during my lunch break type up one blog post a day (as long as I have the time, obviously.) It's a great way to stay on top of things but I don't feel overwhelmed doing it in one go.It also doesn't make me resent blogging for taking up all of my weekend time.

5) Don't stress -  It's not the end of the world if you miss a day or two (or even a week!) I've learnt that blogging is definitely a hobby and the more I stress about it, the less I want to do it. There is no point forcing crappy content (which I hope this isn't) that you aren't proud of, if you don't like it, chances are others won't either.

What are your tips for juggling blogging and life?

Laura xoxo

Review: Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Eye Cream

If you've read my blog for a little while you'll probably know that when it comes to under eye concealer my trusty Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch is probably my most used make-up item. However, with a lot of talk surrounding the Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Eye Cream I decided I'd have to pick it up and give it a test myself.

Firstly I really like the the applicator of this over the Maybelline one as the plastic allows you to place little dots under your eye to blend, rather than the brush style applicator, which, less face it probably houses a fair few germs. 

Colour wise this is amazing if you have pale skin like me as it really allows you to contour under your eye. I find the Maybelline one, whilst being the lightest shade, matches my skin tone rather than being a shade lighter, which is something I've always found it lacking.

The one area I think the Maybelline one still beats this product by is the highlighting and brightening factor. This has great coverage, but doesn't highlight or brighten my eyes which is something I look for in an under eye-concealer.

Whilst I've spent most of this post comparing the two products, I've got to say the two of them together is just amazing. The Bourjois one really covers and lightens the area, whilst the Maybelline one adds brightness and awakens my eyes. The perfect double duo.

Overall I really love this product and would definitely buy again.

Have you tired this? What do you think?

Laura xoxo

Saturday Sweet-tooth: Easter Egg Cookies

 

So with Easter coming up soon I thought I'd try my hand at making some Easter Cookies for you to bake and share with all your loved ones (maybe even eat them all yourself.... I'm not judging!)

So I began my using the cookie mix from Vivianna Does Make-Up's cookies, which I love making (and have saved in my phone), however when you should be adding the chocolate I added broken up Cream Eggs and Mini Eggs.

Make sure you leave enough room between each one otherwise this could happen!

Here are the finished articles!

Are you doing any Easter baking this year?

Laura xoxo

Throwback Thursday: Stila In the Light Palette

The other night I was going out for dinner and actually had some time to get read and thought I'd bring out my old Stila In the Light palette. As much as I love this palette for some reason I never really find myself reaching for it. I think it's 'cause of the shimmery shades rather than more mattes which I find myself gravitating more toward due to my oily lids. 

Here I've decided to go all over my lids with the shade Bare, then add Bliss to the crease with some Golden across the center with some Luster in the outer corners.

I think this blackened gold is really nice and would make a great smokey all over the lid. It isn't too overpowering but is also really sultry too.

What do you think of this palette?

Laura xoxo

Review: Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in 510 Mayfair Red Lady

One of my favourite lipstick lines is the Rimmel Moisture Renew range and over time I've managed to create quite the collection. However they've since re-branded their products and brought out some new shades that I was excited to check out.

After I quick perusal of colours I decided to pick up the shade Mayfair Red Lady as it was a shade that was least like any in my collection. Plus the 'Lady' part made me think of Parker from the Thunderbirds... Anyway back to the product.

Whilst the packaging of the products are a bit different to how they used to be the formula is still the same. It applies easily and gives a nourishing feel to your lips. The pigmentation is spot on with the colour from the bullet being the colour you get on your lips.

I'm glad that although they've re-branded the product is still as good as it was before, maybe even slightly more nourishing. Perfect.

What do you think of this? Do you like it?

Laura xoxo

Always with Me

I'm sure if you look into most girls handbags there will be a little bit of make-up in there. Personally I like to have little make-up stash on hand for those 'just in case' times.

For a base that doubles as a pretty heavy duty concealer if needs be I have the Vichy Derma-Blend Foundation, which although I don't necessarily dislike it, I'm not a massive fan of so just keep around for when needs must. Also in the complexion department I like to have the Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer which I do really like, and nine times out of ten will be the sole product I reach for out of this bag, it's great a brightening my complexion. If I do have a pesky blemish that needs concealing I'll use the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer but honestly I don't see what the fuss is about with this product. To stop me looking too shiny I'll grab my Maybelline Dream Matte Powder as it comes with a hand mirror and applicator. A new addition is the Maybelline Fit Me Foundation Stick. I haven't used it enough to have a full opinion on it, but it's good coverage and easy to blend and apply.

For eyes I have my Topshop Eye Crayon if I need a bit of colour on my lids. It's easy to apply and blend which makes it perfect for on the go application. If my brows need filling in, or I want a more subtle eye look I also have my Avon Brown Pencil which I really like using. I also like to keep this little Rimmel Quad handy along with this little brush. Finally for eyes I have a sample Clinique High Impact Mascara  which makes my lashes longer and more defined.

For cheeks I have my Topshop Cream Blush which is also easy to apply and comes with a handy mirror. I also have a small Benefits Watts Up to add some luminosity to my skin if it needs its. To finish I have my Carmex Moisture Plus lip balm which has a hint of tint so gives a slight peach look to my lips without be hard to apply in anyway.

What do you keep with you?

Laura xoxo

Friday Focus: Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipsticks

Over the last couple of years I've gained quite the lipstick collection, but in terms of formula I haven't found one I like as much as the Rimmel Moisture Renew ones. In terms of colour collection in the range, I think you can pretty much find any shade you want. Obviously there isn't as many as you'd find in MAC, but I think there is definitely a colour for everyone there.

The colour's I have here are Nude Delight, Coral Crush, Berry Queen, Coral Queen, Mayfair Red My Lady and Rose Sorbet. I've just written them without them being in front of me, so I'm sorry if they're slightly wrong.

What's great about these lipsticks is that they apply opaque, however they have such a moisturising quality to them that you'd expect them to be sheer. If you suffer from dry lips or want a lipstick that feels like a balm on your lips, then these are definitely worth looking into.

They've recently been reformulated and I only have one from the new range, Mayfair Red My Lady, but from what I can tell, they've only gotten better. Whilst I find this shade doesn't really suit me, it's more moisturising and more opaque than the others.

If you haven't looked into this range, I really hope this post inspires you to. (Not sponsored, just think they're great!)

Have you tried any? What do you think?

Laura xoxo

Desk-side beauty

When it comes to work I'm very low maintenance. Working in a small office with little interaction with the outside world except the odd dash to the supermarket at lunch, has meant that make-up and hair is left in its natural state in favour of sleep. However there are some beauty items that a gal (I don't think I'm cool enough to use that word) just needs to have with her. Here I present to you my desk-side beauty.

First up I have a hair clip which I got from Boots. On the odd day I wear my hair down, I find it just annoys me, so end up clipping it up. Perfect when you tend to spend a lot of the day with your head down typing. Also hair related I like to keep a little pocket brush (handy mirror there too) to give my hair a bit of a spruce up, which it often needs. Finally if I really should've washed my hair the night before, or on the off chance I'm going out after work I like to keep some dry shampoo handy, just in case.

For me, a broken nail is the most annoying thing. As someone who used to bite their nails seeing the start of a broken nail is just too tempting, so I like to file it down before I create some real damage. I also find that sometimes I don't realise my nails are a bit too long until I'm trying to type and file them down a little. Also in the name of hand care I love this Garnier hand cream and tend to use it daily. Washing up my cups and dishes can leave my hands feeling dry, especially in the winter weather and this is great at making them feel softer.

Finally to keep chapped lips at bay I like to keep a lip balm with me. This Nivea one has little colour but serious moisture, making it the perfect desk-side beauty item. It's great to slap on without a mirror and really works at nourishing my lips as I work.

What are your desk side beauty picks?

Laura xoxo