May Favourites 2014

Hi Beauts.

I have to say, even though it's only May, I've had an amazing year so far and the fun is just beginning! Anyway, once again it's time to share with you all my monthly favourites:

* Superdrug uplifting red cherry and fig shampoo and conditioner - These are so inexpensive, but so amazing. They both leave my hair feeling ridiculously sort and smell gorgeous!!

* MUA matte perfect primer - I ran out of my Along came Betty 'fix me' mattifying stick, and have finally found something to rival it. This stuff is amaze balls. The smallest amount is all that you need, it keeps me looking matte and helps my make up stay put pretty much all day

* Elf Peachy Keen blush - This is a rediscovery, and it's pretty much the only blush I've used for the past 3 weeks. It gives a gorgeous glow to the face, and is perfect for the days I didn't want to wear a berry/pink shade

* Beauty UK Snob lipstick - I love this shade! I have a full review here if you want to read my full thoughts. But in a nutshell, this is a gorgeous dusky pink, it's in between a matte and satin finish and lasts reasonably well

* Make up revolution iconic 3 palette - I never thought I'd wear anything pink on my eyes as I'm cool toned and usually warm shadows make me look ill. However, I haven't been able to stop usong this palette the whole month of May. It has a great range of shadows, every one of them is pigmented and they're so smooth and easy to blend out

I also have to add a couple of songs that I've had on constant repeat, because they're just too amazing not to share with you all: 

* Anastasia - Stupid little things

* Jason Derulo - Karma Sutra

* Jason Derulo - Fire

* Paloma Faith - Only love can hurt like this

What have you been loving Beauts? 

Stacey x

Make Up Revolution baked mono eyeshadow in Celestial

Hi Beauts.

I recently posted a review of the mono eyeshadow I have from Make up Revolution in the shade Insomnia, and I wanted to follow it up with a review of the baked shadow I have from them called Celestial

I'm not big on baked products if  I'm honest as I've found that most products come off quite shimmery, and sometimes a lot of shimmer can look too much. But when I spotted the baked shadows for £1.50, I figured I may as well give at least one a go.

Celestial is an olive/khaki green shade with silver and green veining running through, and it is a beaut!! You may already know that greens and purples are my two favourite shades to wear as I have hazel eyes, and this shade definitely brings out the coulours of eyes.

When I first swatched this I noticed little silver glitters on my hand, and thought that my eyeballs would resemble that of a disco ball. However, when applied to my lid it's a gorgeous metallic shade with no hint of glitters.

The gold and silver seem to blend amazing with the green to give the metallic sheen. The pigmentation is incredible, and I found it just as vibrant and long lasting without a primer as I did with one. I never have a problem with eyeshadow creasing, and this was no exception.

I definitely need more of the baked shadows in my collection!

Stacey x

Be happy!!!

Hi Beauts.

It's amazing how one small thing can change your whole outlook on life. For me, that small thing was my job. 

I've already mentioned (probably a few times) that I hated my previous job, and for me I was luckily made redundant. Redundancy on a normal basis isn't a good thing, but for me it gave me the boot up the butt to leave and find something else. 

I was very lucky to know someone who owns their own business and got offered a job pretty much straight away, and it's the best job I've ever had. Instead of waking up in a bad mood and dreading going to work, I'm a happy little bunny all of the time, and actually offer to work weekends. Yup, you read that right, I offer to work weekends. I have to get up at stupid o'clock, 5:30 am to be precise, but knowing that I'm going somewhere I love makes it worth while 100%.

I can't believe how much of a difference it has made to how I think and feel. There's no negative Nelly moments or thoughts any more, and I just seem to have a positive mind now. 

I bet you're wondering why I'm rambling on aren't you? Well, my point to this whole post is this: If something makes you unhappy, change it. I guarantee that it will have a domino effect and end up changing a lot more without you realising. It doesn't matter how big or small you might think it is, if it isn't making you happy then you don't need it in your life. Life's too short to be unhappy.

Be who you are, do what you enjoy, and live each day to the fullest!!

Stacey x

MUA matte perfect primer

Hi Beauts.

'Formulated for oil prone skin, will mattify complexion and provide the perfect base for foundation. Can be worn alone, or under foundation.'

I recently ran out of my Along came Betty 'fix me' mattifying sticks, so was on the market for a new face primer that would control my oily skin. I've seen the MUA matte perfect primer in Superdrug a few times, but always had a primer on the go so never bought it.
However, said primer ran out and here I am with a review of matte perfect for you all.

I thought this would either be a white or clear product, however when I squirted a small amount onto my hand it was a flesh colour, and I automatically thought that this could turn out to be a cruelty free alternative to Benefit's 'Porefessional'
Although this was a skin tone shade in the tube, once blended into the skin it turned transparent and seemed to even out my skin tone a little.

Once applied I did notice that it left my skin feeling a little oily, and didn't mattify straight away. However, literally 60 seconds later it had absorbed fully into my skin and did look and feel matte.
Using this definitely gave me a great base for the rest of my make up. My foundation seemed to glide on and blend in so smoothly, and felt quite silky to touch.

Now, did this keep me matte and shine free all day? It did indeed. This actually held up really well! I did touch up once throughout the day, but if I'm honest I didn't really need to it was more just from habit I think.
At the end of the day, my make up didn't look like it had when I'd first applied it that morning but it never does no matter what I use. However I didn't get oily during the course of the day, and I was definitely shine free which is what this primer promised.

If you have oily skin like I do, especially in the summer, I'd absolutely recommend giving this a go.

This retails for £4.00 for 15ml from Superdrug and the MUA online store

What's you're favourite oil controlling primer?

Stacey x

Fab Five Favourites part 3: Lips

Hi Beauts.

Today I wanted to share with you little beauts my Fab Five lip Favourites. I have part one and two linked at the end of the post too if you fancy a peek. 

1 - Nuxe rêve de miel - If you suffer from dry and cracked lips, then this is a product that you absolutely need in your make up bag. It is rather thick so I tend to use it as a lip treatment overnight, and when I wake up in the morning I have a super smooth pout

2 - elf lipstick in Classy -  This is my go to lipstick. If I'm in a hurry or can't decide on a lip colour, I pick this up. If I have a dark eye look going on then I'll just dab this on for a 'my lips but better' hint of colour, or if I have simple make up I'll add a regular coat of it. It's a gorgeous mauve shade, long lasting and super affordable

3 - MUA Intense kisses in Sealed with a kiss - The thing I love about this, is that it's a lipstick and lipgloss in one. It has the pigmentation and staying power of a lipstick but the consistency of a gloss. It's also the perfect nude for me too.

4 - NYX Megashine lipgloss - I'd choose these glosses over any other if I'm honest. They're the best consistency in my opinion, they are slightly sticky but not too much, the shades are amazing and they're the longest lasting I've tried

5 - Prestige lip liner in Silk - I used this none stop when I first bought it but then changed my make up storage around and forgot about it. However since moving everything back, I've been wearing it every day again. It is the perfect 'my lips but better' colour and it makes a great lip colour and/or base for any other lipstick

Fab favourites part One

Fab favourites part Two

What are your favourite lip products?

Stacey x

A day out at Beamish museum 17/5/2014

Hi Beauts.

I wanted to share a little lifestyle post with you all today. On Saturday my cousin and I went to Beamish museum for the day and had a blast, so I thought I'd share some pictures and fun stuff from the day.

If you're unsure as to what Beamish is, it is an open air museum all about people from the North East in Victorian, Edwardian and Georgian times.

I (as well as my cousin) am a bit of a history geek, and love anything related to Victorian times. I did go years back when I was at school, and couldn't wait to go again!

Anyway, on with the day we had:

Map of Beamish

Home farm

The town

Barclays bank

Making cinder toffee

The Co-op

The dentist

Solicitors 

School time

Beamish website 

Hope you all had a fab weekend whatever you got up to

Stacey x

Make Up Revolution mono eyeshadow in Insomnia

Hi Beauts.

Today I bring to you an a review of an eyeshadow I can't get enough of, and that is Make Up Revolution's mono eyeshadow in Insomnia

I hadn't read or heard any reviews at the time of placing my order so decided to pick up one of the mono eyeshadows to try out. We all know that I'm a sucker for a purple eyeshadow so there's no way I couldn't not add this to my basket.

The packaging is plastic which has a hinge on one end and a small button on the other end which keeps the packaging closed. It is quite thin which I like as it does make it more travel friendly, and easier to pop in your everyday make up bag.

Now, how great are these inexpensive eyeshadows? Great! The pigmentation is amazing, one swipe and you have an intense colour payoff. I like to pack it into my outer V and blend into my crease, and it gives a gorgeous gradient effect doing it this way.
It is also super easy to blend out and so soft to apply too. I have found with the more inexpensive brands, that their eyeshadows are really hard to blend out. But not with this brand.

I'd describe this shade as a plum shade with a metallic pink sheen running through it. It's absolutely beautiful, and not a shade that I have in my collection already. 

This is an eyeshadow that shall be getting a lot of love, and I can't wait to pick up a few more shades to try out too!

Have you tried any of the Make up Revolution eyeshadows?

Stacey x

Fab Five Favourites part 2

Hi Beauts.

Today I wanted to share with you all, my second installment of my 'Fab Five Favourites'. I've already posted   my fab five favourite face products, and so today thought I'd talk to you about my favourite hair products.

I'm not really big on hair care if I'm honest, but I do have a few things that I couldn't be without:

1 - Tangle Teaser - This is the only brush I use on my hair. I think everyone and their mam has one of these beauties, but if you don't it's basically a God send if you get tangles in your hair. It doesn't pull and tug at your hair when you brush over a tangle and leaves your hair static free

2 - Primark teasing comb - I don't have a fringe but I like to wear my hair in a bit of a bump at the front when I'm feeling a little rock chicky ;) and find this the best thing to use. It teases really easily without snapping hair, and it's the perfect size to pop in my bag

3 - Batiste dry shampoo - This is a life saver!! I can get away with washing my hair two to three times a week now, however on the morning of my 'hair washing day' I find that my hair needs a little freshening up so spray this on and I'm good to go for the day

4 - Superdrug coconut oil - This is the only hair treatment/mask I use. I have a full review already up here if you fancy a read. This is the best thing I've ever used. It has so many uses but I use it as a deep treatment, I apply it an hour or two before I wash my hair and when it comes to rinsing it out my hair is left smelling, feeling and looking amazing

5 - Superdrug detangling spray - Yes, this is indeed intended for kids but it's something I love to use. Because I use the tangle teaser and coconut oil, I don't really get knotty hair but I do like to show the ends a little extra love and notice a big difference i the softness of my hair when I use this

Well, that's it for this 'Fab Five Favouries' What are your must have hair products?

Stacey x 

April favourites 2014

Hi Beauts.

Time for a little round up of the products I loved throughout April. Grab a cuppa ladies, this could take a while.

* B. Sheer finish pressed powder - I think I've discovered my new favourite face powder. I got the lightest shade, I resemble Casper pretty much all year round, and it's a yellow toned which I love. I'm cool toned too which means anything remotely pink or warm toned looks ridiculous on me. It doesn't add a whole lot of coverage, but just enough and it keeps me matte pretty much all day

* elf blush in 'Blushing Rose' - This has been in my collection for months, and it's the only blush I've used all of April. It's the perfect berry shade (which is my favourite) and I've had so many compliments on my make up and always get asked what I have on my cheeks

* Make Up Revolution iconic 3 palette - This had to make it to my favourites. I hauled this recently and literally can't put it down. It's SO pigmented, the colour range is fantastic, none of the shadows crease and I just love it!

* MUA ever after matte eyeshadow palette - Another palette made it to my favourites, this time all matte shades. I reviewed this not too long ago and I've just loved using it. I use it alone for all matte looks, or use it in conjunction with my Iconic 3 palette to add a little depth. Again the pigmentation is great and I love the range of shades

* Make Up Revolution baked mono eyeshadow in 'Celestial' - Another goodie from Make Up Revolution, this time a single baked eyeshadow. One of my favourite shades to wear is green, so I couldn't resist buying this. It's a dark shimmery, olive toned green and looks absolutley stunning in the outer corner and V

* Beauty UK eyebrow pencil - My new favourite eyebrow product to use alongside my MUA eyebrow kit. I just find my eyebrows look more defined and put together when I use a pencil and then a powder. This one matches my brows and hair great, it's not too hard or soft so there's no tugging and it doesn't smudge like others I've tried in the past. Full review here

My most recent 'Fab Five Favourites' post

What are your most recent favourites?

Stacey x

EMPTIES: Hits and Misses

Hi Beauts.

I bring to you a slightly different empties post. For each empties post from now on, I'm going to be categorising products into 'Hits' 'Misses' and 'On the fence' just to mix things up a little.

Let's get this show on the road shall we?

HITS

* Nspa 'Mango' shower gel - I adore all Nspa products as you may know by now. Mango is one of my favourite scents, put that with one of my favourite brands and we have a winner. It lathered great and left my skin soft

* Molton Brown 'Paradisiac pink pepperpod' body lotion - I LOVE LOVE LOVE this. The smell was like heaven in a bottle, such a feminine sweet fruity scent, it left my skin so soft and absorbed really quickly

Tesco Sensitive anti-antiperspirant deodorant - Smells amazing and does the job

* Superdrug 'Paradise' body spray - If you're a fan of Revlon's Charlie pink body spray but want something cruelty free, then this is for you. It smells just like Charlie pink - such a sweet and summery scent

* Next 'Diamonds' perfume - Yet another favourite scent. If I'm honest, if I could only ever have one perfume for the rest of my life, this would be it. It's a candy kind of scent, very girlie and just yummy

* Superdrug vitamin E eye cream - I really liked this. I can't usually tell whether or not I like an eye cream as I can't see a difference after using it, however because of how quickly this absorbed into my skin it made it to my 'enjoyed using' list

* Along came Betty 'Fix Me' - My all time favourite 'primer' Unfortunately I can't seem to find this in any Tesco I go to and I shall admit it, I'm devastated! This has been THE best product to keep me looking matte, and helps my foundation stay put all day

* NYX Matte finish setting spray - Yet another favourite and amazing product that keeps my make up looking matte and helps it stay put all day. As soon as I ran out of this I had to go out and buy another bottle. This is an amazing product if you have oily skin like I do, and have trouble keeping your foundation in place

* MUA Lash Boom - This really surprised me if I'm honest. The wand intrigued and scared me, because it's quite spiky I thought I was going to end up poking my eyeballs out but alas I didn't. This mascara lengthened, separated and give volume, and left me with luscious lashes

* Gosh concealer pen in 'light' - I really enjoyed using this,and would definitely repurchase. I picked up the lightest shade and because it was so light it worked as a highlighter pen as well as a concealer. I didn't crease up at all throughout the day, and gave pretty good coverage

MISSES

None this month

ON THE FENCE

* Tesco PRO formula vita gloss shampoo and conditioner - I really enjoyed using both of these because they left my hair feeling really soft. However, because they contain argon oil my hair looked and felt quite greasy if I used too much and I found myself having to wash my hair so much more than I normally would

Well that's it for this months empties, what have you used up?

Stacey x