Beauty | Makeup | Lifestyle

Thursday 31 July 2014

July Beauty Favourites

July is probably my favourite time of the year, as it tends to be the sunniest and warmest month in the UK. Here's a list of the products I enjoyed the most.


1. To start off, Avène Eau Thermale Water Spray (from £3.15). Sometimes I wonder how I've survived without it, especially in the summer. If you live in London or have visited during hot days, you will know what I mean. The city just isn't prepared for the heat. This has been a life saver.
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Tuesday 29 July 2014

The Liebster Award

This week I was caught by surprise with some Liebster Award nominations. Thank you so much to Emma @ Little Miss Dimples,  Velvet Blush , Non Fiction Beauty, Nina Style BlogA Little Rosy , My Life As Anu, Clare from Paperdoveblog, Nicole from Fashionxobeauty and Caitlin from Little Miss Voguette. I'm very grateful for the support I'm receiving and would love if you could go check these lovely ladies' blogs out and show them some love.  

What is the Liebster Award?
It is an award that is given to a blogger by other bloggers, it is a chain and it is up to you to continue the chain by nominating other bloggers yourself. You cannot however nominate the person who nominated you.

Who can receive this?
Well over time this has been changed, and you now have to forward it on to 11 bloggers who have less than 200 followers.

What does it involve?
You first list 11 random facts about yourself
Then you answer the 11 questions set to you by the person who nominated you
You then nominate 11 blogs and set the questions you would like to ask them



* 11 Random Facts About Me *
1. I do some volunteering work for Oxfam
2. I love learning new languages. I speak English of course and Portuguese. I also understand a bit of Spanish and I want to learn French next.
3. I love TV series and my favourite at the moment are The Vampire Diaries and Breaking Bad (I'm currently watching the last season)
4. I'm a lipstick addict, always trying to control myself not to buy too many
5. I'm also currently addicted to Starbucks Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino
6. I was crazy about Backstreet Boys growing up. I had a crush on Nick Carter. lol
7.When I want to chill out, I like going for a walk at the park, reading and listening to music 
8. I love animals, literally every animal. I have had dogs and parrots in the past and would like to have them again, as well as having a cat. Not all at the same time, though. 
9. Travelling is one of my most favourite things to do, but I'm a little bit scared of flying 
10. I'm a very tidy and organised person. I hate mess! It drives me nuts!
11. I'm the kinda person who prefers to have a few close friends than many acquaintances.


VelvetBlush's Questions
1. What made you start blogging?
I've become very passionate about everything beauty related in the past 2-3 years and decided to start a blog as a way of sharing my passion and exchanging experiences with other people. 
2. How long have you been blogging for, and your experience of it so far?
I've been blogging for just over 2 weeks now and I'm really enjoying it. It's more time consuming than I had anticipated but it's really fun at the same time. I love how supportive and friendly the beauty community is.
3. If you could only wear one beauty product, what would it be?
I'm torn between concealer, eyeliner and mascara, but I'd go with concealer, as it can really brighten up my face and make me look more awake, even when I haven't had enough sleep. 
4. What do you want to be/did you want to be when you were younger?
I wanted to be a Veterinarian but ended up in Marketing. 
5. What is your favourite clothing item?
Maxi dresses
6. Are you a saver or spender?
Saver
7. What is/was your favourite subject?
Biology
8. What is/was your worst subject?
Physics
9. What is your best characteristic?
What people mention the most is that I'm very caring
10. How developed are your makeup skills?
I am by no means a makeup artist (even though I'd love to be one), but I think I can do a pretty good job.  
11. Finally, do you have any plans for your blog?
I want to work in the beauty industry so I'd love the blog to reach more people and grow. I'd be very happy if I could, somehow, work with the companies I have loved and admired for years, to help inspire people and bring them more information about which products are worth their money.

Non Fiction Beauty questions
1. What is your ideal holiday destination and why?
France because it's such a relaxing and romantic place to be, plus the food is great!
2. Big wedding or small wedding? Why?
Small. I prefer intimate parties.
3. What are 3 of your favourite foods?
Steak, banoffee pie and popcorn 
4. Would you rather be extremely hairy or have no hair at all? (yes, including the hair on your head!)
Hairy! lol
5. Who/What are two of your favourite artists/bands?
Sarah Bareilles and Maroon 5
6. Gold or Silver jewellery?
Silver
7. Gel liner or liquid liner?
Gel
8. You have only 3 makeup items to use for the rest of your life. Which items do you choose?
Concealer, Lipstick/lip balm, Eyeliner
9. What is your view on cultural appropriation?
Living in London, I get to see and experience lots of different things from other cultures. I think that's an amazing thing. 
10. Tattoos or piercings? Why?
Neither really, but if I have to choose, would go for a small tattoo because at least they can mean something
11. Red lipstick or Pink?
Pink always!

Nina Style Blog Questions
1. What inspired you to start blogging?
My passion for beauty
2. What's your favorite color?
It changes a lot but atm is coral
3. What is the funniest memories from your childhood.
Am I too old to remember? I can't think of any. :-/
4. Your favorite beauty brands 
Mac, YSL, Bourjois, Laura Mercier and Estee Lauder
5. 3 things you will never leave home without.
Concealer, lipstick/lip balm and mascara
6. Have you traveled to other countries? If so, what was the most interesting thing about it.
Yes. The most interesting thing about going abroad is getting to know more about other cultures, trying different food and learning new languages
7. If you could get your 3 deems come true, what they would be?
Build a family, be successful doing something I love and live long, surrounded by the people I care about
8. What's your profession?
Marketing
9. Favorite dessert
Banoffee Pie
10. what are you obsessed with?
Beauty and Technology 
11. favorite singer/band
Sara Bareilles

A Little Rose's Questions
1. What is your most worn lipstick?
Probably Mac Faux
2. Are you an early bird or a night owl?
Definitely night owl, even though I'd like to change that
3. Who is your style crush?
Gisele Bundchen (model)
4. Could you ever leave the house without any make-up on?
Yes 
5. What's your favourite ice cream flavour?
Strawberry
6. If you won the lottery, what would be your first splurge? 
A house
7. What is your guilty pleasure?
Makeup :)
8. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
Erm... Would probably like to live in LA (USA) or Australia 
9. What is your most cherished beauty product?
My Mac lipsticks
10. How long do you spend getting ready everyday?
1 hour
11. What are you most proud of in life?
The person I've become. You can hide scars and spots with makeup but nothing can disguise a bad character

My Life As Anu's Question
1. If you had three wishes what would you wish for and why?
Long healthy life for me and my loved ones, a happy family, to be successful doing something I love
2. When did you decide to start a blog?
Have thought about it for a while but only decided to do it 2 weeks ago
3. Do you have any siblings?
1 sister
4. What four things can you not live without?
My phone, TV, internet and makeup
5. Who is/are your favourite YouTuber(s)? (If you don't watch any YouTubers then bloggers)
Essie Button, Vivianna Does Makeup and Lily Pebbles
6. Would you like/have you ever considered changing anything about your blog, if yes, what and why?
Not yet... I just started :)
7. When did you start wearing makeup?
In my teens, but only got properly into it 2-3 years ago
8. What is your favourite song?
Oh god... I love music. This is hard. Can I cheat and say anything from Sara Bareilles? :)
9. Do you have any obsessions?
No
10. Would you rather buy every piece of makeup or clothing you ever wanted? 
Makeup
11. What five things would you take with you on a desert island?
A lighter, books, lip balm, SPF and my husband :P


Here are my questions:
  1. What is your favourite TV program?
  2. If you could only have one luxury item what would it be and why?
  3. What was your favourite childhood TV program?
  4. What is your happiest memory?
  5. Liked by many or loved by a few?
  6. Who was your first celebrity crush?
  7. If you had to change one thing about you, what would it be? 
  8. What is your biggest aspiration?
  9. What's your dream holiday?
  10. What is your proudest achievement?
  11. What's your favourite Starbucks drink?

I nominate:
An Impatient Scottish Girl
Blushing Wit
CarlyCCxx
BellaForcella
The Make Up Doctor
Tobelikealady
Beauty High Street
hellomynameisleigh
lifeisbeauty
All Good Things
I Am Chick London

I hope you continue this chain and enjoy answering the questions and reading this post. :-)









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New @ The Drugstore #1

I was browsing at Boots and Superdrug on the weekend and spotted 2 new interesting releases: 


Collection Work The Colour Eyebrow Kit (£3.99)
This is the first eyebrow kit I've seen that comes with a small clear brow mascara. It includes 3 eyeshadows (beige, medium brown and charcoal brown) and a teeny weeny double ended brush, one of them being angled, which I love. Such a complete kit and super travel friendly!
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Sunday 27 July 2014

My Wishlist | August 2014

August is nearly here and these are the things on my wishlist for the month.

1. Marc Jacobs Daisy Dream Perfume (was £39, now £31.20 at Escentual) - The bottle is gorgeous! But it doesn't stop there. The perfume smells flowery, young and sexy. A perfect scent for summer (what's left of it). 

2. La Roche Posay Serozinc (£5.05 + delivery) - Even though it seems to be designed for oily skin (mine is dry to combination), I've been hearing so many good things about this product, that I really wanna give it a try. It's an astringent toner with antibacterial properties to help diminish break outs. Unfortunately it's not sold in the UK, so we have to buy it online. 

3. Clinique Chubby Stick Cheek Colour Balm (£19) - A long lasting cream blush in a stick form. I love cream products, especially during this season so this is a "must buy" for me. 

4. Clinique Smart Custom Repair Serum (£48) - This serum has an innovative technology that promises to identify and tackle problems on your skin. It addresses the appearance of uneven skin tone, lines and wrinkles, firming and radiance. I have a little bit of pigmentation around my mouth, so I'm always intrigued about things that could get rid of it. 

5. Pixi Glow Tonic (£16) - This is by no means a new product but it's one that has been raved about a lot. I currently use Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner, which I love, however, I've heard this is an amazing dupe and a lot cheaper, so I'm tempted to give in and see if it's actually worth the hype.

6. bareMinerals 5 in 1 BB Cream Eyeshadow (usually £17, but it's £14.95 at feelunique.com) - This creamy eyeshadow is a blend of makeup and skincare that has SPF15 and should last up to 12h. It can be used as an eyeshadow or as a primer. I've recently had a look at it in store and it seems really good.

What about you? What would you like to try next? Please let me know, as I might add some of your suggestions to my list too. ;-)


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Saturday 26 July 2014

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Limited Edition


Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser is a multi award winner cleanser that I love and recommend to everyone I know.

Cleanse & Polish was my first proper cleanser, after I retired the evil face wipes and I haven't looked back. I love trying new products whenever possible but I've noticed I'm always going back to this one. It's gentle, very efficient at removing makeup, including waterproof mascara, and it's pretty affordable, especially when compared to other high end brands (from £14.75 for 100ml + 1 muslin cloth). 

This summer, for the first time ever, Liz Earle decided to create a new take on her best seller and released the Limited Edition cleanser with Orange Flower and Chamomile. The scent is totally different from the original cleanser. It's a soft flowery perfume that I'm really enjoying and personally prefer to the original one. I found the texture to be pretty much the same and both cleansers are equally as good. However, if you are more into very mild, fresh scents, I'd say you should probably stick to the original cleanser, which has a very light herbal smell. Whichever option, it doesn't matter, as long as you give these cleansers a try. You won't regret it! 

You can still grab the limited edition, that comes with 2 muslin cloths, for £19.75 here. But hurry up!!! I have a feeling they are nearly sold out! 

Let me know if you've tried it and your thoughts on this new wonderful product. 



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Friday 25 July 2014

My Evening Skincare Routine

Our evening skincare routine is as important as our morning routine, if not more. After a day exposed to dirt, pollution and sometimes makeup, it's essential that we take some time to clean and look after our skin properly.
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Thursday 24 July 2014

My Morning Skincare Routine


I used to be very naughty with my skin when I was younger, removing makeup with face wipes, not caring much about SPF, moisturisers, etc. However, when I reached my late 20s I started becoming more aware of the importance of looking after my skin properly and adopted a regime that still changes sometimes, but overall I'm really happy with. Here's what I do for my daily morning routine.

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Tuesday 22 July 2014

Vichy Capital Soleil BB Cream SPF50

This is the best time of the year to try BB and CC creams in my opinion, as foundations usually feel a bit too heavy in hot, sweaty weather. To be honest, I really enjoy a light coverage base anytime of the year so Vichy Capital Soleil BB Cream with SPF50 naturally appealed to me, especially because of the high sun protection it gives.

This is a really nice product and one of the very few BB creams in the market to offer such high SPF, which is amazing for the summer months. It smells lovely and is more on the dewy side, without looking greasy at the end of the day. Another great thing about this BB cream is it's filled with hyaluronic acid to instantly plump the skin. In addition to that, it's water resistant, paraben free, hypoallergenic and enriched with Vichy Thermal Spa Water. 

Perfection? Well, there's one downside. It's only available in one shade, that I'd describe as a natural tan colour. So unfortunately it won't suit everybody, being limited only to light/medium complexions. As a reference, I'm NW20 in Mac and the colour is pretty spot on. 

Another thing I thought I should mention is this product is quite sheer, sif you prefer heavy coverage, this may not be for you. 

Overall, I'm impressed and will definitely purchase the full size, which cost only £15.50 on feelunique.com.

Have you tried it? What do you think of BB creams in general?

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Saturday 19 July 2014

Bronze Up!



Summer is here and I think bronzers are a staple in everyone's makeup bag during this season. Funnily enough, I didn't wear them until last summer, when I decided to buy the Bourjois Delice de Poudre (£7.99). I'm sure everyone in the blogosphere has already raved enough about this product, so I won't go too deep into it. It's essentially a matte finish powder bronzer that looks and smells chocolaty. I find it works best for me as a contour powder. I have the shade 52 and even though it was the darkest shade out of the two available at the time, I found it looked much more natural than shade 51, which I thought was a bit too orange for me. 

As I got more into cream products this year, my recent addiction has become the Bourjois Bronzing Primer (£9.99). I've been wearing it every single day in the past month and I can't say enough good things about it. It's supposed to be a primer and to be used as a base underneath foundation, to give a summer glow to the skin, but I wear it on top of the foundation, as an all over bronzer. It makes me feel like I've just come back from a holiday in the South of France. :) It's got a lovely mousse texture and although it may seem a bit scary in the pan, it's actually quite sheer and blendable, which means you can easily control how strong it looks. Not to mention that it's being considered a dupe for the Soleil Tan de Chanel (£32). I don't own the Chanel bronzer but for what I've seen both colour and texture are different. However, I've heard that once applied to the face, they look pretty much identical. So if you don't wanna splurge on Chanel, I think Bourjois is an amazing option.  

A new addition to my stash and another product I'm really enjoying at the moment is the Revlon Highlighting Palette in Bronze Glow (£8.99). Even though it's advertised as a highlighter, I think it's more like a bronzer, blush and highlighter all in one, when you mix the colours together. It adds a gorgeous sheen / glow to the cheeks and I think this is a very good dupe for the popular Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks (£32.50). I'd say that the Revlon version is a lot less shimmery, which I think is a big bonus, as I don't like to look like a disco ball. Another good thing about this type of bronzer/highlighter is that you can pick just one of the individual colours and wear it as an eyeshadow to add a quick pop of colour to the lids.

At last, I couldn't speak about bronzers without mentioning The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder (£13). If you're a bit scared of looking like an oompa loompa, look no further. This is such a subtle, natural looking bronzer. Very sheer and buildable. Perfect for girls with very fair skin. I got it on shade #1 and love it.

Do you wear bronzers? Which one(s) do you like? I'd love to hear your recommendations. 

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Wednesday 16 July 2014

Mini Beauty Haul - Boots and Superdrug

I spotted a couple releases and promotions in Boots and Superdrug this week and I couldn't resist them. First thing that caught my eyes was the new Max Factor Clump Defy Extensions Mascara.
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Monday 14 July 2014

O2 Priority Moments and WHSmith Book Bargain


WHSmith partnered with O2 Priority Moments to offer a book for just £1!!! If you're an O2 customer, all you have to do is download the O2 Priority Moments app, find the deal under the shopping tab and press the button "use it now" to get a code. Find the book in your nearest WHSmith and show the code to the cashier. That's it. Easy peasy. The deals start on Monday morning, with a new book weekly.


The book available this week is Midsummer Magic by Julia Williams. Find synopsis and reviews here.

I think this promotion is incredible. It's a perfect opportunity if you want to get back into reading but doesn't quite know where to start.  

Enjoy! ;-)
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Sunday 13 July 2014

Top 10 Summer Essentials


The weather this weekend has been absolutely lovely so I thought it'd a great time to talk about those little items I find essential for hot days out and about.
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UK Magazine Freebies - July 2014

This post might be a little bit late but I decided to post it anyway, as some of you may still be able to get your hands on theses treasures. Better late than never, right? 

July has been a great month to buy magazines with freebies. I love the sample sizes as an opportunity to try products out before committing to the full size.

Glamour magazine (£2)
Offering an array of Clinique products, this was the most exciting one for me.
- Chubby Stick in Whoppin' Watermelon
- Chubby Stick in Super Strawberry
- High Impact Mascara
- Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion

Marie Claire (usually £3.80, but July's edition is only £2.50)
2 Balance Me products - Cleanse and Smooth Balm (40ml) and Moisture Rich Face Cream (25ml)

Instyle (£3.90)
Neal's Yard Geranium & Orange Hand Cream 50ml

Cosmopolitan (£3.70)
3 New CID Lip & Cheek Tints in Plum Cordial, Strawberry Souffle and Rose Tint or Black Mascara.

I bought Glamour Magazine with the Chubby Stick in Whoppin' Watermelon and Marie Claire with Balance Me Cleanse and Smooth Balm and I'm absolutely loving both products. Balance Me full size balm is currently priced at £20 for 125ml, so I think £2 for 40ml is a total bargain worth picking up. Unfortunately the Chubby Sticks seem to be sold out pretty much everywhere, as Glamour magazines were released on Monday 7th July. However, the mascara and the moisturiser are still readily available, if you fancy trying those out. The other products also seem to be available in lots of places. If you're having trouble finding them, I suggest having a look at WHSmith, which was where I saw the biggest amount of magazines displayed. 

Have you managed to grab any of these freebies? Which did you get?
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