Make up and beauty haul

Hi everyone,

Hope you're well. Recently I have accumulated a few beauty things and I thought I would share them with you.

2 True Glamour Lashes 

These lashes cost £1.99. For that price they're not going to be amazing but they are good. They aren't very natural looking but they do make your lashes look full and really open your eyes. There is glue included but it isn't great so I just use an Eyelure glue. But as I said for  £1.99 they get the job done and are good lashes

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation

I did a lot of research before buying this as it is quite expensive. However, all the reviews were really positive. I have trouble with foundation staying put all day. I moisturise and use a primer but my skin just doesn't hold onto foundation. So when I saw this was long lasting I picked it up. Luckily my lovely boyfriend gave me a Fenwicks voucher so I only ended up paying like £8 for this. 

As for the foundation itself- I love it. I have quite troublesome skin and this is oil free, dermatologist tested and non acnegenic. It goes on really well with a semi-matte finish. I got colour matched and the lady at the Estee Lauder counter was lovely and gave me such a good colour. The best thing about this is it does stay a very long time. I apply this with a sigma buffing brush or a real techniques expert face brush. I would highly recommend this foundation to anyone. I LOVE it.

Collection Lasting Perfection 

I wanted to buy a more everyday foundation as the Estee Lauder one is expensive and I wanted to use that only on special occasions. This was only around £5-£6. It is again long wearing and has SPF 20 which is really nice. It doesn't go on as smoothly as the other foundation and doesn't last as long but for a inexpensive price, its a good daytime foundation. 

L'Oreal Colour Riche Lipstick in Julianne's Barely Peach

I've been shopping around for a nudey peachy pink and I have definitely found it. This lipstick is so smooth and moisturising. It doesn't flake on the lips and has a nice smell to it, which some lipsticks don't. The colour is beautiful and natural. I really love it.

Revlon Colour Burst Matte Balm in Complex

I really wanted to try these. I thought a matte lipstick in a nude would look really nice. But this isn't very moisturising so it flakes on the lips and gathers. However, this might just be me as I have very dry lips. It is a nice colour though and doesn't wash you out or look like the dreaded foundation lips. 

Avon Ideal Flawless Conceal Stick

This retails for £7 but I got mine for £3.50 as it was half price. Again, like foundation, concealer doesn't  stay on my skin long but this concealer is pretty good!  It's really creamy and covers imperfections and pimples well 

L'Oreal Lumi Magique Highlighter

I purchased this as I like to do a very dramatic contour and highlighting look. I apply this to my forehead, down the bridge of my nose, my cupids bow and my under eyes. However, it doesn't give enough of a glow to me. It dries quite quickly so you have to work and blend fast. I think I'm going to purchase the MAC prep and prime highlighter and hopefully that will give more of a glow

Avon GlimmerStick Brow Definer

For my brows I use powder to fill them in and make them bigger and darker. I picked this up though and I really love it. My brows are not naturally arched so I use this to draw an arch then I fill it in with powder. It looks really natural and as this pencil is quite waxy it stays put a long time. 

Sleek Creme to Powder Tester Kit

After watching numerous tutorials on Youtube, I wanted to find a creme or liquid product to contour with. I had never bought a product from Sleek before but I came across their website. When I saw this I was so excited. It's a really creamy kit that's meant to be used to test foundations and get your right colour. However I bought shades very much darker than my skintone to use to contour my face. These 5 colours are really warm and matte so are brilliant. I use a little foundation brush then buff this in with a real techniques stippling brush. The result is amazing- it gives you a natural looking tan and glow and really brings out your cheekbones. I couldn't love this product more. But the best bit is the price- this was only £2.99. That is absolutely amazing. I'll never look for a cream contouring product again!

Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes

I love Simple wipes. They don't irritate my skin, they take all my make up off and are nice and moisturising and don't dry out my skin. Even more, they're inexpensive. Just great all round wipes, would highly recommend them. 

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

Every time I wanted to pick this up, it was out of stock! But I finally got my hands on it. I have only used it once or twice but I really liked it. It's so gentle, takes away make up and leaves my skin refreshed and hydrated. I will be posting my skincare routine soon but if I'm lazy of a nightime and am tired I'll just take all my make up off with a wipe, use the micellar water on a cotton pad then use Bio oil as a moisturiser. It leaves my skin clean, soft and smooth.

Bio Oil

I was hesitant to purchase Bio Oil at first as it isn't cheap and I was afraid to use it on my face as it is an oil but I am a fan. I have quite bad scarring on my face from a really bad outbreak of acne. After cleansing at night time I dot this on my cheeks and chin where I have scarring and use this as a moisturiser. I think I'm starting to see results and I'm really glad I bought this.

Una Brennan Super Facialist

I purchased this after seeing the lovely Megs Boutique on Youtube talk about this. When I first applied this it did make my skin tingle and I was afraid I was going to have a bad reaction to it. However it went away within minutes and when I rinsed it of, it was quick and easy and left great results. My skin felt clean and my redness was reduced. This claims to reduce pores and I can say straight after using this my pores look tiny. It also says it removes toxins and dirt and impurities from skin. Some days my skin does feel really clogged up so using this makes me feel all fresh and clean. I try and use this every week and so far I really like it. 

Soap and Glory Sugar Crush body wash 

I had the scrub version of this years ago. So when I saw they had the same scent in a shower gel form I was so excited. This is the freshest more citrus shower gel ever. It's so uplifting and wakes you up. It was about £8 but it is a big bottle so I'm sure it'll go along way. I haven't used this yet as I'm working my way through another shower gel but I can't wait to open this! 

From left to right- 2 True Shade 14, Natural Collection White, Seventeen Long Island, 2 True Shade 15

I love the colour of all these polishes. The 2 true ones were so inexpensive, go on really well and last such a long time! I'v wanted to try white nails for a while so picked up a cheap brand because I wasn't sure wether I was going to like it. But I love the colour. However the polish doesn't last very long and chips quickly. The Seventeen colour however is my least favourite. It goes on really gel like and looks to be really good but it takes so so long to dry and you just end up smudging your nails. It's a great pigmented colour but the formula isn't great. The 2 true ones are my definite favourites. Great price, colour pay off and long wearing. 

So that is my haul! I hope it wasn't too long. Look out soon for a fashion haul. Any comments or questions please leave them below, I love to read and respond to them :)

Have a lovely Friday

Ella xo 

I heart fall tag!

Hi everyone,
So I found this really fun autumn themed tag on YouTube and thought I would do a blog post on it as especially here in the UK, we are definitely experiencing the autumn season!
So I found this tag from the YouTuber; MissJenFABULOUS
You can check her out here- http://www.youtube.com/user/MissJenFABULOUS?feature=watch

Now for the questions!

Favourite fall lip product- combination of Topshop Lip Marker in 'Get Lippy' and Topshop Gloss Stick in 'Glisten'

Favourite Fall Nail Polish- Essie's '760-  Carry On' Basically a gorgeous deep red/purple/plum

(excuse the chipped nails!)

Favourite Fall Starbucks Drink- Pumpkin Spice Latte

Favourite Fall Candle- Pumpkin Cheesecake- Pumpkin is THE autumn scent. And this has the added bonus of smelling like cake- it's so sweet and delicious. It also has cinnamon in it which is one of my favourite scents for this time of year

Favourite Fall Scarf- Just big wooly ones or snoods that keep you nice and warm

Haunted House, Haunted Corn Maze or Haunted Hay Ride?- NONE! I am a massive scaredy cat and would hate to do a haunted house. I would get so scared it's unreal. Likewise with the corn maze. We don't really have these in the UK but I guess if I had to pick one I would (reluctantly) do a haunted hay ride

Fave halloween movie?- Double Double Toil and Trouble. This is an old 90's film with Mary-Kate and Ashley as kids starring in it. I've watched this every Halloween period for about 4 years now and I just love it! It's such a cute film (and not very scary yay!)

Favourite candy to eat on Halloween?- Would have to be Haribo

What are you dressing up as for Halloween?- It's my friends' 18th around Halloween and it's a hero and villains theme and I'm going as Supergirl but with a twist....maybe I'll post some pics of my outfit after the party!

Favourite thing about Fall/Autumn- I'm going have to alter this question slightly because I have more than one thing I love about this season!  I love the cosy feeling of this season- wrapping up in loads of layers, sipping hot coffee, wearing slippers, snuggling up to watch movies all wrapped up. I also love spending time with my family during this season and Christmas- we have loads of traditions that we always do every year which is lovely.

So I hope you've enjoyed this tag! I had fun answering the questions
Stay Glamorous,
Ella xo

August Favorites

Hello everybody!
First of all I would like to send out a massive apology for my absence. As you know, I went on holiday for two weeks. But then after that, I was very ill and not up to blogging at all. THEN, after that I was bombarded with all my summer work for Year 13 and I'm also learning to drive. So I've been super super busy (plus not well enough to write). But, I am back! This year will be very stressful for me, but I assure you, blogging will go back to being a regular thing for me.

HD BROWS KIT IN 'FOXY'

I love this kit so much! I'd never been into defining my eyebrows before but now I never leave the house without doing it! It makes you look so much better if you have neat, defined eyebrows. Even if you don't have any other make-up on, just filling in your brows will make you look so polished. I use a mix of the light brown and dark brown and use the brush provided to fill in my eyebrows with really light 'flick' strokes.  I love how it looks and would really recommend this product.

MARC JACOBS 'KUMQUAT' PERFUME 

This perfume smells absolutely divine. It's light and fresh yet sweet at the same time. I bought it in duty free for about £24 which is really reasonable. I also wore it every day in Turkey so it makes me think of summer! The fragrance notes are-

TOP NOTES- Bergamot, Tangerine and Orange

MIDDLE NOTES- Orchid, Kumquat and Jasmine

BASE NOTES- Musk, Cedar and Wood

(from http://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Marc-Jacobs/Tropical-Splash-Kumquat-14612.html) 

This is definitely a citrus, fresh perfume. The only negative point is that it doesn't last on the skin a long time. I still love this though! 

MAC 'FIG' AND 'HONEYLUST' EYESHADOWS

During the summer I was loving the combination of these two eyeshadows. I swept 'Honeylust' on my lids then added 'Fig' in my crease. It was nice to use 'Fig' as it's a completely matte eyeshadow and I've gone off shimmer on my lids at the moment. 'Fig' was also interesting to use as I thought purple wouldn't suit me, but with a tan it looked really nice and made a change from dark browns etc. 

BARRY M EYESHADOW PENCIL IN NO.2

When I went out for the evening on my holiday, I would do my eye make-up then put this under my waterline, just under my eyes. Sorry I forgot to take a picture of a swatch but it's this most beautiful warm, shimmery gold that stayed put under my lower lashline.  I got so many compliments wearing it and it really opens up your eyes. 

BM BEAUTY MINERAL BRONZER IN 'SUMMER WARMTH'

This is my new holy grail bronzer. It is the most amazing product ever when you have a tan. The definition it gave to my cheekbones was just unreal! And because it's mineral, it feels really light on your skin. I don't know what it is about this bronzer but it just gave me the most natural glow ever. I would definitely recommend it. 

STACKED BRACELETS

During the month of August, I loved wearing loads of bracelets on my arm. These are a selection from all over the place! 

TOP- Primark

Turkey

(from a friend who got it for me whilst she was on holiday)

Turkey (from a friend)

Turkey (from a friend)

Turkey (from a friend)

London market

Turkey (from a friend)

Menorca

My brothers from London (all the stickers have worn off!)

I think 'arm candy' can be such a statement accessory. These are all so colourful, plus you have a couple of stories to tell if people ask about them!

MULBERRY ALEXA IN BLACK

I was so lucky to receive this as a gift from my parents. I just love it. The black leather is so soft and compliments any outfit beautifully. The detailing is so pretty and it manages to carry all the crap I carry round in a handbag! I couldn't love this bag more.

I have many exciting blog posts coming up so please keep an eye out for those. I feel really awful that I haven't blogged in ages as I really do love it and beauty/fashion/make-up are such huge huge passions of mine so I can't wait to get started again!

FAVOURITE SONG- Well this will have to be favorite songs as I have so many!
Blank and Kytt- Thursday and Snow
Angel-Wondeful
Chris Brown- Kiss Kiss
Far East Movement- Turn up the love
Justin Bieber- Take You
FAVOURITE MOVIE- Again gotta be favourite movies but only because of the Die Hard quadrilogy. These are such good, kick-ass action films and Bruce Willis is amazing. And the film 'Rain Man' with Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman. Such a moving inspirational film that had me in tears.
FAVOURITE TV PROGRAMMES- Has to be Gossip Girl. I'm on the Season 4 DVD at the moment and I'm dreading getting to season 6 as there'll be no more! And hey, who wouldn't want Ed Westwick and Chace Crawford on their TV screens...

So there are my August favourites! I hate the end of August because it means the start of autumn. And me being a summer baby,I hate autumn. So I'm just going to have to keep reminding myself of my gorgeous sunny holiday in Turkey to keep me going through the colder months!

Stay Glamorous,
Ella xo

Glossybox

Hi,

So I signed up for the infamous Glossybox! If you don't know what Glossybox is it's a monthly subscription service where the company send you a box full of goodies from high-end retailers based on a questionnaire you take when signing up. Say if you have really dry hair and skin, they will send you products to cater for that. And if you want to only try out skin and make-up items, they won't send you any hair care products etc.  It costs £10 a month and you get to try out really high-end products and you could discover some new favourites. I've received three boxes now and I'm really loving the idea of this! I'm just going to take you what I got in my boxes and let you know my thoughts on the products.

 MAY GLOSSYBOX

First off, how cute is the packaging?! It's so pink and girly. Anyway these are the products I got in my May 2012 Glossybox-

First of all was this cute little extra gift. It's a compact mirror. I cannot believe I didn't have one of these before! It now lives in my bag and is so handy.

This is Noble Isle's Summer Rising Bath & Shower Gel. They say it's meant to smell like summer countryside etc. but I think it smells of men's aftershave! But I still really love it and I've now used it all up.

 Next up is a Murad Clarifying Mask. I was really excited to try this out. It does work well but not as good as my Origins face mask. This is great for people with oily skin however as the clay soaks up oil, draws out impurities and mattifies the skin. 

These are lashes from Eldora. I'm sure some people would like these, but this is my honest opinion and I really didn't like them. Maybe it was because they were quite full and thick and I prefer a more natural looking eyelash. Also the way they spiked out at the edges was really off-putting. Even though I tried to trim them down, they still didn't work for me.

This is a product that I absolutely loved! It's Uniq1 All in One Hair Treatment. It claims to do 10 things and I've really noticed that it's good at detangling, heat protecting, adding silkiness, making brushing easier and protecting against split ends. I have the thinnest hair ever so it gets crazy tangly and this is fab at making it so easy to brush out after a shower. This is just fab, amazing, can't rave about it enough. Sad to say I've used every last drop up. Definitely going to have to repurchase. I advise anyone to buy it! 

Last but not least for the May box was 2 Lolita Lempicka fragrances in L'Eau en Blanc and the original Eau De Parfum. These weren't really my cup of tea. They were a bit too sickly sweet for me but I enjoyed trying them out and I bet some other girls will love them. 

This is just the card you get with each Glossybox telling you a little bit about the products and how much the full sizes retail for. 

This overview of the first Glossybox has been quite in-depth with the pictures but for the June one, I'll just put up one or two photos. 

JUNE GLOSSYBOX

Soooo I had to put all this stuff on a tissue because I wanted to show the brush but I didn't want to get my carpet covered in mascara. Anyway! 

GLOSSYBOX SERIE EXCLUSIV PRO BEAUTY BRUSH

I think this is a full size brush and the RRP is £15 so that's covered the price of the box with one item! But....this brush is made of goats hair. Which freaks me out a little bit. It isn't the softest of brushes either but it does the job.

BM BEAUTY SUMMER WARMTH BRONZER

Love love love this. It's purely mineral so I feel good about putting it on, and once it is on, it feels really light and not-cakey and it feels like it won't clog up your skin or anything. The colour is so flattering as well and once when I wore it, numerous people asked me if I had a tan! So I think that says that it's a really natural bronzer. Normally with bronzers I just use them on my cheekbones but as this is so light and flattering I use it all over my face and neck for when I want a little bit of colour. 

AGENT PROVOCATEUR PERFUMES

These all smell so good. I was really happy to discover this brand. The red one is called Maitresse and I would say it's a summer night time scent as it is light but slightly musky at the same time. The black one is my favourite and it's called L'Agent. OMG this smells so nice! It's a dark almost woody scent but with a hint of a floral backnote. The final one, the pink one, is the original one and it is very fresh and floral. All these perfumes last ages on the skin. Much longer than many of the perfumes I've tried and that is a major deal for me with perfumes- they have to keep their scent for a long time. I've really enjoyed trying them out. I may have to purchase a full size of L'Agent! 

VICHY DERMABLEND STRTER KIT

In my box came a sample size set of 6 concealers (depending on your skintone). The packaging promised amazing results but I wasn't amazed by it. It covered my spots ok, but it wasn't brilliant. I didn't love it and I didn't hate it. It was an ok product, in my opinion. 

YVES ROCHER SEXY PULP ULTRA-VOLUME MASCARA

This is such a good masacra. I will be very sad when it runs out. The brush is so soft and coats your lashes so well. The formula isn't drying or flakey. It's super volumising and lengthening and I don't think there's a bad thing to say about this! I love it. 

JULY GLOSSYBOX 

I only just received this so this is why this post is only just going up! I haven't tried any of the products except for one but I can still tell you what I got and what I hope the products will do! 

CLYNOL SALON EXCLUSIVE COLOUR ENRICH SHAMPOO (forgot to put this in the pic oops!) 

I was really glad when I found this in my Glossybox as it is meant for colored hair and it will hopefully bring out my light blonde tones. I did use this shampoo this morning. I'm normally very skeptical about shampoos as I have a very sensitive scalp but greasy hair. But this shampoo didn't irritate my scalp and left my hair feeling really clean. I'm looking forward to using it more!  

HD BROWS EYE AND BROW PALETTE

This is a set of 4 eyeshadows that look really highly pigmented. It also comes with a small angled brush for precise lash work. I've been using the shades 'Buck' and 'Naked' from my Urban Decay Naked palette so I will be looking forward to seeing if these shadows work just as well! 

MONU GOLDEN GLOW 

This looks like an interesting product. It says it's a moisturizer that gives you a tan in 3-5 hours. I love looking sunkissed so I'm really excited about trying this. I just hope it doesn't look too orange.

JELLY PONG PONG LIP FROSTING

This is a cheek and lip stain that looks like it gives a good amount of pink colour. It smells delicious and the packaging is really cute so I can't wait to see if this is good or not! 

ELIZABETH ARDEN

I got quite a few EA goodies in this month's Glossybox. When answering the questionnaire, the Glossybox company asks you to input your skin type, so they sent me a load of samples suitable for my specific skin type which I thought was really good.

I hope you've all enjoyed this post and now know a little bit more about Glossybox. If you're a beauty junkie like myself, I really recommend this superscription service as you get to try out products you might not normally go for. Plus, it's really exciting getting a box of surprises through your door each month! 

Tomorrow (28/7/12) I'm off to Turkey for a fortnight so I won't be posting until I get back which is on the 11/8/12. So this is my last blog post for a while! Catch you all when I'm back!

Stay Glamorous,

Ella xo