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NUDE LIPS AND SMOKEY EYE | FOTD








Hello lovelies, I hope you are all well and having a good start to the week! I did this make up look the other day and got a lot of compliments and a few people on Instagram said how gorgeous my eye make up was so I thought I would share with you all how I did it!

I started of as I always do with my base, I prep my skin using the Laura Mercier foundation primer, this is by far the best primer I have ever used! It doesn't make my make up slip and glide through the day it keeps it put! Then I apply my favorite foundation at the moment Rimmel 25 hour lasting finish, this is medium to full coverage, it covers most of my blemishes up and stays put all day and into the evening and I think it gives me a more flawless coverage to my face and makes me feel the most confident. I then conceal any blemishes still on show with the Mac studio finish concealer in NW15 and dab it around my nose where I get red areas, this covers them all up lovely then I go in with another concealer being the famous Collection lasting perfection concealer in fair to really brighten up underneath my eye area, then I finish that all off with a powder to keep in place using Rimmel Stay Matte in peach glow, the only powder I use, it stays put all day and doesn't cling to my dry areas at all and it doesn't feel too cakey on the skin. 

After the base I like to add some color to my face so I contour the best I can with the Bare Minerals foundation in R310, I got this sample from a blogger event a while ago and thought how the hell am I going to use this foundation on my paleness? I then tried it out as a bronzer/contour and fell in love so have been using it ever since! It stays put all day too, then I give my cheeks a flush of color using the Topshop cream blusher in head over heels, its such a pretty coraly pink shade and gives my cheeks a lovely glow, I then like to add more 'glow' to the skin using Mac MSF in soft and gentle which I totally forgot to picture, woops but it is my favorite highlighter of all time. 

Once I have done all that I go onto the eye area, I usually do my brows before eye shadow and things so for my brows on this particular look I opted for something easy and chose the Soap and Glory Archery Brow tint & precision shaping pencil in medium brown, this is so easy to use, you literally just draw on your desired eye brow shape then fill them in using the felt tip side to give them more definition. I then colored in my eye using a new release from Bourjois their colorband eyeshadow and liner 24hr stick in the shade Rose, such a pretty dusty pink and the perfect primer to prep for any eye shadow look or on their own. I then covered that with Mac pigment in Tan, this is such a gorgeous shade and I wore this a lot on holiday last year and everyone complimented on how stunning it was, thanks to Vivianna does make up for this find! Then I used another Mac pigment in the shade Museum bronze to give it a bit of a smokey feel and added that into the crease to make my eyes pop that little bit more, two shades that I think work really well together considering how much sparkle was going on. I then defined my eyes more using a liquid eyeliner as I think this just finished a smokey eye off using the Make Up Revolution Awesome Double flick liquid eyeliner*, it really is awesome and super cheap! It stays put all day and comes with a thick side and thin brush for applying eyeliner, I use the thinner side for more precision and accuracy and it works wonders. I then finish of my eyes using a new mascara in my collection and contending to be a new firm favorite! The Maybelline Lash Sensational Multiplying mascara, I am so glad I picked this up in boots a few days ago I haven't put it down since, it is very similar to the new Benefit release and could even be better, I will be doing a review for you all soon. 

Then no make up look could be complete without a lippy right? I have been wearing this stunning nude non stop lately, it is the Mac Velvet Teddy dupe - Maybelline Color Drama Velvet lip pencil in Nude perfection, all of the lip pencils in the collection are to die for, the color pay of and longevity are just phenomenal, I have reviewed them here. I can't now stop adding all the shades to my collection, they truly are stunning and well worth the tiny £4.99 price tag.  

Did you like this FOTD? I would love to see your fotd posts in the comments below for some inspiration. 

MUMMY MONDAY | ARTS & CRAFTS SCRAPBOOK INSERTS






Hello lovelies, yesterday the weather was horrendous to say the least, we couldn't go out in it at all so I thought I would make Oscar a handmade scrapbook/folder and Oscar could so some art work to go into it. I got the supplies for it all Saturday luckily and had plenty of snacks in to keep us going so we had fun with some stamp kits, stickers, felt tips and crayons. 

Oscar really enjoyed the stamp kits and getting messy, we did hand and foot prints and got straight into the bath afterwards as I was worried it might stain his hands, then we got sticking his favorite characters out of his magazines on to bits of paper afterwards. I got his initials from Hobby Craft a while ago and thought what to do with them so I stuck them on the front of a bright green folder and have made him a little scrapbook/folder, basically a folder full of memories to look back on. Whilst Oscar was doing his art work I started writing about places we have been whilst he's been two and what he has learnt so far, so once we go somewhere again or he learns something new I can pop it in there, so it's great to look back on.  

I really enjoyed our little arts and crafts play time, we do a lot of colouring and things but it was nice to do something together and for Oscar to have something to look back on when he's older and I will definitely be doing one for his little brother too. 

Have you and your little one made a scrapbook, if so what have you put in it so far?


MAYBELLINE COLOR DRAMA VELVET LIP PENCILS






Maybelline Color Drama Velvet lip pencils £4.99

Hello lovelies, today I have for you my favorite lip products at the moment, these Maybelline lip pencils are amazing, for just £4.99 as well it's a steal. They feel buttery and light on the lips but give amazing pay off, highly pigmented and last all day and night. Although they are chunkier than the Nars Velvet lip pencils they are very similar, I actually find these a lot more creamier than the Nars pencils and these don't dry my lips out at all. 

Light It Up - A post box red shade with a gorgeous shine.

Nude Perfection - The perfect nude, this is also apparently a dupe for Mac's velvet teddy!

Berry Much - A rich plum berry shade, totally different from the hand swatch. 

The Maybelline lip pencils have a range of ten different shades to acquire to everyone's taste and Boots usually have a good 3 for 2 offer going on, I currently have my eye on their coral shade, it looks stunning. I am super impressed with these affordable lip pencils though, if your after a lip product you don't have to keep topping up through out the day you need these in your life. I have ate, drank and done my day to day business and these have lasted through out, so creamy in texture and make your lips really stand out.

Have you got these in your make up collection or have your eye on a shade?


JUST ANOTHER HAUL | BOOTS






Hello lovelies, on Wednesday I was stuck in Burton all day as I had the hospital twice, one appointment at 8.15am and the other 1.50pm, an absolute nightmare, the first appointment I had to wait around for two hours also which was a pain so why I waited for the later appointment I thought why not take a trip into the town. Not so good move on the bank card but it killed time and there were some new releases I wanted, the new Barry M Speedy quick dry nail polishes being one! How gorgeous are these pastel nail paints? I only painted my nails on Wednesday and I already want to re do them, but which shade do I pick first.

The other new releases I had my eyes on was the Collection eyes uncovered palette, I picked the nude bronze one, I couldn't believe this was only £2.99 after swatching them in store they were so pigmented so I couldn't leave without it and will show you more in a review soon and the last new release I noticed in boots was the Barry M contour palette, I was so pleased when I heard they were bringing out a contour kit, I am concerned how they only have one shade for all at the minute but after swatching it doesn't look too dark at all, I shall have to show you what it looks like on my face in an upcoming post though. After wanting a few new releases I wanted to add to my Maybelline Color drama velvet lip pencils so I got the shade 'In with coral' a gorgeous bright pinky coral. 

The last purchases were purely on a whim, I was queing up and noticed the clearance shelves, I got another Barry M nail polish for just two pound and I've never tried the silk finish ones, I fell in love with the shade so had to get it, I got the Seventeen nail polish for just £1.50 and also fell in love with the shade, sparkly and warm looking, then I picked up some Barry M Dazzle dusts, these take me back to my younger make up days but they are so pigmented! These are more than half the price of mac pigments and super pigmented so I couldn't leave these for just £2.00 a pop, I look forward to doing some eye looks with these and show you how pigmented they are. 

WHAT'S ON MY NAILS WEDNESDAY #36





MUA - Ameretto Crush £1.00 

Hello lovelies, today I have for you an absolute bargain what's on my nails post, I have also chopped down my nails as my thumb nail broke sadly, does anyone else have that little heart break when one nail breaks and you have to cut the others down? I do, I hate them all being different sizes too so I had to get my cutters and file out. 

This nail polish is one of my favorites, the shade is gorgeous its like a browny pink with orange undertones and pretty good quality for only one pound. You have to apply at least two coats for it to look opaque and the brush isn't the best, it is very small and not the easiest to work for but you can't have it all for a pound can you? They actually have a 3 for 2 offer on all the nail polishes too at the moment so three polishes for two pound you can't really go wrong, they have a range of shades to suit all skin tones and tastes, you have to deal with the rubbish brush but if you want cheap and cheerful MUA nail polishes are for you, they also have a few Essie color dupes. 

Have you tried the MUA nail polishes before?




MUMMY MONDAY | BLITHBURY REINDEER LODGE FROZEN EVENT


Frozen at Blithbury Reindeer Lodge - Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 February 2015

Hello lovelies, so a week or so ago we went to a reindeer lodge about twenty minutes away from where we live as we found out they had a Frozen event going on, Oscar loves Frozen and I'm not going to deny that I have a lot of love for it too. I think I was more excited than Oscar when Dan told me about it, he is working on a farm near there and spotted the sign and knew it would be a perfect family day out, that it was!







We started the day of by feeding the gorgeous reindeer's, I really wanted to take them all home, they were so soft and cuddly, so approachable and Oscar loved them too, we fed them moss and made our way around the lodge. We found a cool little ti-pee but it smelt awful so I let the boys play in there for a bit whilst I stood with the reindeer's some more.





We then made our way to the barn where Oscar met Anna and Elsa and we did a 'Do you want a build a snowman' edible activity, it was basically making Olaf out of marshmallows and bits of fruit and chocolate, I think this was Oscars favorite thing out of all the activities aha and Dan shared it with him too! Once we made an Olaf and he got demolished Oscar and Dan made their way to the sleigh ride que, I had my camera in hand waiting for them to come round and took a couple of snaps but my camera was not playing ball this day at all, I tried to make a little vlog but my battery died as well as being a douche so apologies for that but I could still try and upload the little footage I have and put it on Youtube, hopefully our next family vlog will go a lot better!





Then lastly we finished the day off with a lovely light lunch in their cafe and a sing a long at the end singing, where the entertainers sang really beautifully actually, the lady who was Anna actually sounded a little bit like her, they put a lot of effort into the event which definitely showed and a lot of helpful staff through out the day. I would highly recommend checking them out if they were to do it again and I will definitely be going back there to stroke the reindeer again, there just gorgeous.






Are you a Frozen fan or luckily live near to a reindeer lodge?


ILLAMASQUA | MULTI FACET PALETTE IN SEMBLANCE






Illamasqua Multi Facet Palette in Semblance £45.00 (£13.50)

Hello lovelies, I finally have my hands on a gorgeous palette from Illamasqua, after many swatches at their counter in Selfridges and being too over whelmed to know what to buy I have a palette! A stunning one at that, I was browsing their sale the other day after they kindly sent me an email saying 70% off, how naughty of them! My spending ban is just not happening for me so far this year, anyway I couldn't resist picking up this amazing bargain from a whopping £45.00 to £13.50, free p&p too, if you hurry though they still have it on offer for just £22.50 an absolute steal.

This palette is amazing for you travelers or for lazy people like me who just don't want to carry a make up bag full of things, this has all you need but a lipstick and if your anything like me you already have about 5 of those stashed in your handbag anyway. What also drew me to this palette was it had my favorite product from Illamasqua at the moment, that being the brow cake in thunder, this is simply the best eye brow product I have ever used, so now I have this mini for when I am going away for a weekend or something. Along with the brow cake you have a gorgeous blusher, stunning highlighter, a contour and four beautiful eye shadows, one being used for liner.



Highlighter in Mirage - This bronzey gold shade is a creamy formula, which I am not that keen on usually but this is very easy to apply, I found it best applying with my real techniques buffing brush just dabbing it on to the tops of my cheek bones lightly to create a gorgeous iridescent shine to my face, you could just use your fingers but I personally prefer blending with brushes.  

Blusher in Hussy - This blusher is super pigmented, luckily I checked my blusher brush before applying this to my cheek bones! I was like woah hot pink, I like a subtle flush of color to my cheeks so if you do to to I would recommend you not be too heavy handed with this beauty, it is a stunning blusher formula and shade I would say a hot candy pink, you can be as subtle as you like with it or build it up to a more intense coverage.

Contour in Hollow - I don't know if it's my skin tone or the formula but I just couldn't work with this at all, I much prefer powder to contour my face and wasn't keen on the colour of this on my face at all which is a shame as I see it get rave reviews especially for pale skinned people like myself but each to their own hey, however I found this to look lovely on my lids and will be perfect for a base of a cream/brown smokey eye look so it won' get wasted. 

Brow cake in Thunder - As I mentioned above I have the full size version of this and I'm in ore of it, I remember an old friend of mine getting it when I was with her and the transformation of her brows were unreal, after going back there many months later I was so impressed with the lovely lady there who transformed my brows and had to have it! It is my favorite brow product to date, it stays put all day with no smudge or budge and the shade is perfect for me. 



Powdered eye shadow in Slink - Highly pigmented like all of the gorgeous eye shadows in the palette this is a champagne sort of shade with a shimmer finish, perfect for an all over base and looks gorgeous also added in the inner corners after your desired eye look to really make them pop.

Powdered eye shadow in Dizzy - A dusty rose pink shade with a matte finish, pink is not usually a color I would normally go for on my eyes but I loved this all over the lid and I am still super impressed with how pigmented the shadows actually are, no swiping over the lids 4 times to get a more opaque look, one swipe and your ready to go.

Powdered eye shadow in Tango - This has to be my favorite shade of the four, a bronzed copper shade with a shimmer finish, I put this on my inner corners and blended it in, I have done a little demonstration in the pictures below but I will do another one with a more intense smokey eye as I was just going for quite a light make up day that day, but it is such a gorgeous shade and really brought out the green in my eyes I thought. 

Powdered eye shadow in Obsidian - I can't believe how beautifully this went on as an eye liner, I literally stroked this on lightly with the brush it came provided with and it went on like a dream. So pigmented and didn't smudge all day, it is a very rich black shade and would also look gorgeous smudged out for a more intense smokey eye look but I could happily just wear that as an eye liner on a day to day basis. 




On a whole I am in love with the palette and it has definitely made me want to get more, or at least try out more of there products, the pigmentation in Illamasqua is like no other, swatch swatch swatch when your near an Illamasqua counter next time and you wont be disappointed I bet you. I actually think I would purchase this at £45.00 my friend was actually gutted when she saw my Instagram upload and said she paid the full price although she loves it and uses it daily, so money well spent. I won't even think twice next time Illamasqua have a sale on I can imagine my basket being very full, I want to try the nail polishes out at some point, if any of you have tried them please let me know your thoughts on them in the comments below. 


What are your thoughts on the Semblance palette, would you buy it?





MY TOP FIVE RED LIP PICKS FOR VALENTINES





Hello lovelies, today I have for you my top five red lip picks for Valentines, I know how cliche to wear a red lip on the day of 'love' but it's just an idea if you fancy puckering up on Valentines day or just fancy getting dolled up with the girls. I do like to rock a gorgeous red lip, I was never one for a red lip before but I have got braver and delved into many shades of red as the months have gone by. Yes I may have several red lipsticks but they are ALL different, well they have different packaging at least...

Make Up Revolution - Atomic Ruby* : The most affordable lipstick out the few, a pillar box red lipstick with great lasting power for such a small price tag! I get at least a good 4 hour wear from this lipstick and doesn't bleed at all and also looks super shiny on the lips. 

Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil - Cruella : My favorite red out the few I have picked, this was the first red lipstick I have ever fell in love with. I much prefer darker reds to brighter ones and this baby lasts for hours on end, you can eat, drink, dunk your head in a bowl of water and this will still be stuck to your lips! Although it has a very creamy texture it can cling to those pesky dry bits on your lips so make sure you prepare your lips for this cult product from Nars. 

Seventeen Supreme Shine Lipstick - Red Devil : Firstly I love the silver bullet the lipstick comes in itself, the formular is gorgeous, shiny like it says and is a very cool red with pink undertones as the wear goes on though it goes to a pretty cherry color, it is quite moisturising on the lips and very affordable.

Nyx Xtreme Lip Cream - Spicy : I swatched this in my local Next store and fell in love, it is super pigmented, long lasting, moisturising and leaves a gorgeous velvety glossy finish to the lips. I seriously need to get some more of these in various shades but if your a red lip lover you will love these! They also have a yummy scent to them too, strange I know but I love it when lip products have a nice scent.

Maybelline Color Drama Intense Velvet Lip Pencil - Light It Up : I am a huge fan of the Maybelline Color drama lip sticks at the moment and have a review coming up soon but I had to share this stunning red with you all first. Like the Nars lip pencil only a whole lot cheaper the lasting power of these are amazing! You can do all the above, eat drink etc and this will stay put but the formula of this lip pencil is much more creamy and doesn't dry your lips out at all, the pencil applicator makes it much more easy to apply and fill in your lips, I would highly recommend these beauties. 

What are your favorite red lip products?



OH HONEY HONEY...



Hello lovelies, I have once talked about a great beauty tip of mine involving honey all across beauty chats on Twitter and always tell my family and friends if they have a spot to smother it in honey, place a plaster on top and sleep with it on over night, in the morning the spot should have cleaned up pretty well or at least gone down in size and will appear less obvious on the face and less painful so whilst I am at it I thought I would share with you my top five other benefits you can get from Honey...

  • As well as clearing up spots/acne prone skin thanks to its anti bacteria properties you could use this as quick face mask, apply honey straight on to your face for ten to fifteen minutes twice a week and I think you will notice a huge difference in your skin, cheaper than most high street brands and its all natural! 
  • Who else get those nasty lumps and bumps after shaving? I know I have in the past but since using honey straight after shaving I have noticed a massive difference in my skin, no nasty lumps where there not needed and super soft legs! 
  • Honey is also known for strengthening your nails and soften your cuticles, if you would like to make your own home made nail strengthener all you need is a tsp of honey and a tsp of apple cider vinegar, apply this to your nails and cuticles for ten minutes and rinse off, again I would say do this twice a week to notice a difference. 
  • Honey has a natural bleaching effect so it can be used to lighten your hair and for helping to clear up scars! If your wanting to clear up unwanted scars pop honey on the affected area daily to see a difference and to gradually lighten your hair naturally all you need to do, is mix 1 tbsp of honey with 6 tbsp of distilled water and apply it to your hair for one hour and do this once a week, to speed up the process add 1 tsp of cinnamon powder. 
  • If your not one for shaving your legs and nether regions and prefer to wax, honey when mixed with lemon juice and sugar make a great home made hair removal system. Mix 1 tbsp of honey with 3 tbsp of brown sugar and one tsp of lemon juice, boil these ingredients in the microwave until they bubble and the mixture turns brown, allow it too cool a little and with the help of a lollipop stick or something similar apply the mixture to your designated area and place a cotton strip on the mixture once it has been on that area for a good few seconds then gently pull the cotton strip against the direction of hair growth, you should have super smooth skin!

I hope this helped you in some way and gave you some inspiration to try out some of the tips just using a natural product, sometimes its just fun to play around with new things too.










MUMMY MONDAY | OSCAR'S FAVORITE TOY AT THE MOMENT







LITTLE PEOPLE BIG CITY SKY WAY - Argos

Hello lovelies, I was going to do a 'What Oscar got for Christmas' post but that would have took me a very long time! He was very spoilt this Christmas and didn't know what to play with first, however since Christmas this toy he has not stopped playing with and absolutely loves it. Dan's mum got him this amongst a hell of a lot more, his play room is full to the brim of toys and it looks like a bomb has hit it most days, as I am currently nesting at the minute I have to just shut the door and leave the cleaning until he's gone to bed. 

I love how colorful it is, it has three slides for the little cars to go down, it came with two cars a blue and a purple one with a boy and a girl. He loves watching the cars go down and seeing which slide they go down and says wow, cool bless him. What I remember of it though it wasn't that that easy to assemble unless his Granddad had one too many larger's at Christmas dinner aha, but he was getting a little frustrated with it in the living room so make sure you have someone who is good with a screwdriver and screws as I would be rubbish at putting this together alone, me and anything DIY with screws is not my forte. 

I was really struggling with what to get Oscar for Christmas as he has always had lots of toys and I just can't help but spoil him through out the week so if anyone can help me with presents for the future I'd be really appreciative and I doubt the new baby will need many new toys aha. 

What did your little ones get for Christmas and what have they loved playing with the most?



JANUARY FAVORITES 2015




Hello lovelies, how fast did January go? Time is literally flying by so fast, you blink and its gone, totally noticed this more since having a child, one minute he is crawling around the house and now hes running me ragged around the store aha. But another month means previous months favorites, I haven't got that many as I am using pretty much the same products, I am trying really hard to get through my stash so keeping my skincare strict using the same thing up before I go onto another so the only thing I am changing up really is my make up. I tend to stick to the same 'face' all week then change up a blusher or lipstick as the week goes on, without further a do though this is what I loved in January...

Zoella Blissful Mistful fragranced body spray £8.00 - I'm not going to lie, when I first heard about Zoella launching beauty bits I wasn't expecting too much from the body spray, I thought it would smell as cheap as the price tag, but I was totally wrong! I am very fussy with scents too, I sprayed this and fell in love instantly, it is very sweet and fruity and girly! Most of the things I am not overly keen with but it just sits on my skin lovely and really perks me up when I spray it. It really is bliss in a bottle and the packaging is just beautiful too right?

Make Up Revolution The One Blush stick in Matte Dream £5.00* - Have you not tried these blush sticks yet? They are amazing, they do them in matte as well as your standard blusher sticks, I don't know why I prefer the matte version better but it just sits on my skin nicely and stays put most of the day. The color is a very pale pink but really brings out the glow in my cheekbones when I wear this and gives me a flush of color to the cheeks, you can go as vibrant with the stick as you like or sheer to the taste you prefer, I much prefer a sheer blush to a vibrant one though personally. 

Mac lipsticks in Snob and Hue £15.50 - Hue being the more paler lipstick, my perfect go to nude for whatever eye look I have going on and will pretty much go with any look I am going for on the day, my safest shade in my Mac collection and most loved, its not too pale and has a slight pink to it, I love it! It is a glazed finish so gives a lovely shine to my lips. Snob is neutral pink but can look a little darker on the lip, another shade I adore from my collection and is a satin finish I loved this lipstick throughout January as it has gave me some color to my face as I am always wearing neutral shades on my eyes and my partner loves me in this lippy so a bonus!

Soap & Glory Sugar crush Hand food - I can not find this on the boots website anywhere! I don't know if it was only available near Christmas as I got it in the sales but this stuff is amazing, it smells divine, all the lime zest and citrisnus. I have been using hand creams every night before bed at the minute as my hands are like dried up prunes, so dry and cracking and this really helped to soften them up and also brought me great joy going to sleep with amazingly smelling hands. 

Lancome Limited edition Color design infinite eye shadow in Timeless Taupe - I went to a Lancome event last year and couldn't resist these limited edition eye shadows, really wish I got more shades but this one was my favorite out of the bunch, it really brings out the green in my eyes and sits on my eyes beautifully. They are super pigmented and look gorgeous alone on the lid or they create a gorgeous base for any eye look your after, they feel super creamy but dry to a more powder consistency, love it and the lady generously beautified my eye shadow up even more in swarvoski crystals, could it get any prettier?

Topshop Cream Blush in Flush £7.00 -  I adore the Topshop polka dot packaging, so chic and cute! This blusher has been a pleasure to wear it is a cream blush that turns to powder on the skin, I use my real techniques buffing brush to dap it on to my cheeks and blend in, I find that the easiest way, it is a gorgeous lightweight blush in a coral shade, it gives me a rosy glow and compliments my skin tone well I think ad lasts all day, I definitely want to try more and noticed on their website they now have a cheek jelly?