Would You Rather...? - Beauty Tag!

Hello!!

So a couple of weeks ago I was tagged by the lovely Mallow Beauty Blog to do the "Would You Rather...? - Beauty Tag"!!

So lets begin!!

1) Would you rather lose all of your Mascaras, Eye Liners, Lipsticks, and Lip Glosses or lose all of your Palettes and Eye Shadows?

Eyeshadow is something I keep meaning to wear more and I would like to invest a really good palette but it is not something I own a lot of. But I have a crazy amount of lipsticks that I could never part with so I would definitely rather lose all 5 of my eyeshadows!!

2) Would you rather chop off all your hair or never be able to cut it again?

I have been attempting to grow my hair since January and have only had it cut once since.  I know that you are supposed to get your hair cut every 8 weeks or something but 1. I can't afford to do that and 2. After waiting so long for my hair to grow, getting it cut makes me a little bit sad. So to cut a long answer/ramble short I would definitely rather never being able to cut it again!! 

3) Would you rather have a coral cheek or a pink cheek?

Definitely a pink cheek!! I would love to give a coral blush a try though!!

4) If you had £1000 to spend, would you rather buy clothes or make-up?

If you've read some of my other posts then you would assume I would say make-up but it would definitely be clothes! I love clothes and when I have money or vouchers, I absolutely love buying clothes but as I don't have money that often this isn't a regular occurence!! 

5) Would you rather apply Lipstick as Eye Liner, or Eye Liner as Lipstick?

Definitely eye liner as a lipstick so that I wouldn't have big red smudgy lines under my eyes!!

6) Would you rather only shop at MAC or Sephora?

It would have to be MAC as I have never bought anything from Sephora before although would like to in the future!!

7) Would you rather only use one Eye Shadow colour or one lip colour for the rest of your life?

As I love lipstick and own so many different shades I would have to go with only using one eye shadow forever!!

8) Would you rather wear winter clothes in summer or summer clothes in winter?

Living in Scotland we pretty much have to wear Winter clothes in Summer anyway!!

9) Would you rather have dark nails or bright nails all year round?

As a lover of maroon and dark purples I would have to say dark nails!!

10) Would you rather give up your favourite lip product or your favourite eye product?

No surprises here, favourite eye product!

11) Would you rather only be able to wear your hair in a ponytail or a messy bun?

Probably a messy bun, although I can't really do them properly!! It always ends up just looking an actual mess!!

12) Would your rather never be able to paint your nails again or never use lip gloss?

Lip gloss is something I never wear and I have my nails painted at every possible opportunity so would definitely never use lip gloss again!!

13) Would you rather shave your eyebrows and have none at all or Sharpie them in everyday?

I can't believe I would ever answer a question where I would say I would rather sharpie my eyebrows in but here it is!!

14) Would you rather live without make-up or nail polish?

I do really love nail polish but I don't like to think about living without my make up so the nail polish would have to go!!

I hope you enjoyed this tag and I tag anyone that reads this!! If you do this post or have done this tag before I would love it if you could leave a link to your post in the comments!!

                  History Never Repeats
                                                        X

Mini Elf Haul!

Hello!!

So recently I was thinking I hadn't bought anything from Elf for ages and that it was definitely time to change this! You can imagine how happy I was to find that it was 50% off at the exact same time...Fate or what? 

On previous visits to the Elf website I used to go a bit mad and my shopping basket amount would get ridiculous! So I decided that I should be sensible and attempt to buy items I actually need and will definitely use!! So lets begin with the lip products!!

In the shade "grapefruit"

in the shade "berry"

As much as I love my body shop lip balm, I have been on the hunt for a change and when I saw these lip balm tints I had to try them. I love the idea of a lip balm that moisturises whilst at the same time giving your lips a really nice colour. I purchased two of these and in my pictures the shades don't look all that different, but if you have a look on the Elf website you'll see how different they look in the swatches. The grapefruit one looked more pinky on their site when it is more of a light red with orange undertones, which is still nice but not what I was looking for. The berry one was a much deeper red shade on the site and in reality looks like the swatch of the grapefuit one on the elf website, if that makes any sense!

Apart from this, I would say that so far I like this product. As the elf site says "this lightly tinted lip balm gives the perfect flush of colour for a beautiful, natural look" which it definitely does. This is a fairly moisturising lip balm but I think if you are looking for a lip balm to heal cracked lips I wouldn't use this. Or I would at least use a lip balm designed for healing and soothing chapped lips first then apply this!! So far I like this product and would like to see some more colour options being added to Elf's site!

This is the therapeutic conditioning lip balm in "Vanilla creme" and is £1.50. As I have been looking for a change when it comes to lip balms, where else to try but my beloved Elf and at £1.50 I thought it would be stupid not to give this a try. On first appearances this is a nice product. It is a good compact size for carrying about and for £1.50 you get a nice amount of product. The only things I would say about this product are that it smells more waxy than vanilla and whilst it does have a moisturising feel to it, it borders slightly on the greasy. However a little of this product definitely goes a long way and so far I have found that it does leave my lips feeling soft and look moisturised. I would maybe try the other scents if I were to repurchase this!

So onto the eye products! This waterproof eyeliner crayon is £3.75 and is in the shade "brown". I have never tried a crayon eyeliner before so thought what better place to purchase my first one from! Swatched, this product is fairly pigmented but it is very light in shade. This is something I like as it gives you the opportunity to go for the natural look or build if you are looking for a more prominent look! It smudges really nicely which would be ideal for a smoky eye! 

This is the eyebrow lifter & filler in the shade ivory/light and is £3.75. Filling in my eyebrows is something I have never done purely because of my fear of looking like a cartoon villain! Recently I have thought my eyebrows have looked like they need a little (emphasis on the word little) touch of colour to them so I thought I would give this product a try. As you may already know I am a sucker for packaging so I loved this as soon as I saw it, two in one product and a sharpener on the lid! 

The lift side is designed to act as a highlighter to be used under the brow to give it a nicer shape. The filler side is used to fill out the brows (obviously) and create a nice natural shape. I purchased the lightest shade possible to make sure I was getting as natural a look as possible and I am happy with the brown shade. It is fairly pigmented but is a nice natural brown, exactly what I was looking for! 

As we are coming into Winter, this is the time when, even though I moisturise regularly, my skin decides to dry out completely! So I thought I would give this tinted moisturiser a try and at £1.50 how could I not? For my pale skin I chose the shade "ivory". It is a really nice natural shade and has a slight scent of orange jelly to it! I am looking forward to trying this properly so expect a review on it in the near future!

After quite a few months on a spending ban on nail polishes (I had a problem), I thought it was time for a small break from the ban and I decided this was justified by getting 50% off!! After adding about 10 to my shopping basket I managed to cut it down to just two. I know that coral isn't really an Autumn/Winter shade but when I saw this I couldn't resist!! It is a really nice peachy pink with a metallic shine to it (which doesn't really show up in this picture) which I absolutely love! 

The other one I purchased is in the shade "sea escape". I was a little disappointed with this one. Again like the swatches of the lip balm tints, this colour looks a lot different on the Elf website. On the site it looks like a really nice dark turquoise shade with teal undertones. In reality it is almost a dark navy shade with a slight dark blue shimmer to it. It is still a nice polish but just not the colour I thought I was purchasing. But for only £2.50, it isn't the end of the world and I would still fully recommend Elf's polishes!!

I hope you enjoyed this elf haul!! I will do a review on the products I have yet to use fully in the near future!!

Have you bought anything from Elf recently?

                   History Never Repeats
                                                       X

Glasgow Fabb Event!!

Hello!!

About three weeks ago I attended the Fabb Event with Nikki (Lunar Lights) in Fanelli's in the Merchant Square in Glasgow. Fabb events are run by the lovely Tor and Ray and they give bloggers the opportunity to sample new and established brands whilst meeting other bloggers at the same time! It was a fabulous day (get it?) and an excuse to take lots of photos!! 

View of the Merchant Square from the balcony of  Fanelli's

Lush!! I'm in heaven!!

Love these shoes!!

The Goodies!!

Can't wait to try all of this!!

It was such a good day and really nice to meet some lovely Scottish bloggers!! It was a great opportunity to discover new brands and try out new products!! Fabb spoiled us rotten with freebies and I can't wait to try out every single one!! My favourite brands were definitely Crystal Clear, The Beauty Kitchen and Iconic Body art, who gave us the really cool star tattoo!! So expect a lot of posts on the products we were kindly given to try out!!

As this was my first blogger event I did feel a little nervous but the blogging community is such a warm and welcoming place that these nerves were soon gone! I love being a part of this and I am so glad I went and I am already looking forward to the next event!! (totally didn't mean for that to rhyme but love that it did, haha)

A huge thank you to Fabb events for coming to Glasgow!!


Katrina X

Patchwork Quilt!!

Hello!!

Being the nostalgic person I am, I have always loved the idea of family traditions and passing things on to next generations. Throughout my childhood I can remember my Gran was always knitting something. I was always fascinated that with two sticks and some wool, she could create just about anything. So a few years ago I asked my Gran to teach me and it is something I've loved doing since. Although don't ask to see any of my work as it is a pile of unfinished scarfs and hats because as I have mentioned before I am quite the procrastinator!! 

My Knitting Bag!

So last year I decided to start a knitted version of a patchwork quilt. I asked my family and friends if they wanted to contribute and it could be passed onto our family for hopefully many generations. The patch could be any colour, pattern or theme. The only requirement is that it is to resemble a square of some form. The beauty and charm of a patchwork quilt is that it doesn't have to look perfect! My Mum and sister made their patches within about two weeks of me asking but because of my procrastinating ways I kind of gave up on my patch and put the project to one side. So after a year of not doing much with it I have decided to stop wasting time and get back to creating a family tradition!!

Top: My Mum's patch
Left: My Sister's patch (she loves all things Spanish!!)
Right: My attempt!!

This is just a selection of the wool and knitting needles I own because I went a bit mad on buying these last year and this post would end up just being lots and lots of photos of different coloured wool and different sized knitting needles!! I wanted to experiment with different sizes of needles as I wanted to create large and small patches for the quilt. I usually buy the needles from Amazon as they have a good choice of widths and lengths available. For the wool, we usually go to B&M who have a great selection and at really cheap too (but still good quality). 

So I am going to start work on a new patch next week and hopefully it will soon start resembling a quilt of some form!! 

Do you knit? Do you have any family keepsakes?

                          History Never Repeats
                                                              X

The Autumn Tag!

So in the past few weeks there has been a real change in the weather and Autumn is definitely here!! So roll on my first ever tag - The Autumn Tag!! 

I was tagged by Mallow Beauty blog whose lovely blog you can find here!!

So let's begin!!

1) Favourite fall lip colour?

Right now it is the revlon lip butter in the shade red velvet. It is such a nice rich red/maroon colour perfect for Autumn! I love how moisturising it is which is essential at this time of year!

2) Favourite fall nail colour?

Surprise surprise it is a maroon colour!! The Lunar lights bought me this essie nail polish (in the shade bahama mama) for Christmas last year and I love it for the Autumn/Winter!!

3) Favourite Starbucks fall drink?

I don't go into Starbucks that often because I don't like coffee or tea! I do like the occasional Caramel Frappucino (without coffee because I am a child) but for this time of year I would probably go for a hot chocolate!! Perfect for warming up on a cold crisp Autumn day!! 

4) Favourite fall candle?

I don't have a specific candle but anything that has a cinnamon/spiced scent because it reminds me of this time of year and makes the house smell of Christmas!!

5) Favourite fall sweater/accessory?

Definitely my scarf and hat!! I got my maroon scarf from H&M and my maroon bobbly hat from New Look last year and they are both so cosy!! Can you tell what my favourite Autumn colour is?

6) Haunted house, hay ride, or corn maze?

Haunted House!

7) Favourite Halloween movie?

I'm a bit of a wuss when it comes to scary films but I do enjoy the final destination films and what I saw of Sleepy Hollow (when I wasn't hiding behind a cushion) I enjoyed!! 

8) Favourite candy to eat on Halloween?

It would not be Halloween without Toffee apples!!

9) What are you dressing up as for Halloween?

I have no idea yet!! If anyone has any ideas for me I would love to hear!!

10) What is your favourite thing about fall?

I love the way everything looks outside!! There is a tree outside my house and it is such a lovely autumn colour at the moment!! I also love being able to wrap up all warm with my scarf and hat!!  

So that concludes the Autumn Tag!! I would now like to tag Beauty Loves, The Lunar Lights and Cardigans And Nails!!

                    History Never Repeats
                                                         X

Everyday Makeup Products - The Lips!!

Hello!!


So on to the Last (but not least) of the everyday makeup products series - The Lips!!

This Vitamin E lip care is from the Body Shop and is £4.00. This is one of my absolute "can't live without" (a bit extreme but its all about emphasis) products!! Last winter my lips were so chapped and sore and Vaseline didn't seem to be working anymore.

So began my hunt for the perfect lip balm. I did a lot of research which meant I then had very strict criteria. I wanted it to be in a stick form rather than a tub as I thought this would be slightly more hygienic. I didn't want it to have too much of a scent (I hate it when everything you eat and drink after applying it ends up just tasting like the lip balm) and I wanted it to actually be moisturising and not just leave a coating which wears off after half an hour. So after a lot of research and a few purchases (which were failures) I eventually came across this one (is that the longest introduction for a review on a lip balm ever?).

I absolutely love this lip balm. It completely fits all my crazy criteria and has been one of my holy grail products ever since I first purchased it last winter. It is incredibly moisturising, without being oily, and it lasts for ages (on the lips and between purchases). It doesn't have a scent to it at all, just a very plain kind of moisturising smell (is that such a smell?). It also acts as a really good lip primer for lipsticks and glosses. I usually get this on a 3 for 2 deal or when the Body Shop is having a sale because I must admit £4.00 is a tad pricey for a lip balm. But it is totally worth it. So to cut a long ramble short, I love this product and would definitely recommend it!!

I love Soap & Glory's names for their products!! This is the Marvelips lip pencil and is £8.00 from Boots. I absolutely love Soap & Glory's bath stuff and moisturisers but I had never really tried any of their cosmetics before.

I purchased this lip pencil earlier this year when I had Boots points vouchers that I could redeem when I spent so much on Soap & Glory cosmetics. I really liked the colour of this lip pencil. "As good as nude" is how its described on the Boots website and I think this is why I love it for everyday as it is a similar (slightly darker) shade to my lips. It is really moisturising and makes the "lips look fuller". The white end is supposed to be applied afterwards and act as a highlighter. I don't tend to use this end as I don't really see any difference with it. However this is most likely to me applying it wrong than the product not being good. I would definitely repurchase this if I get anymore points vouchers or I may start a search for a cheaper dupe!!

So this brings me to the end of my everyday makeup series!! I have really enjoyed giving the "series" type of posts a go, if you have any ideas for other series I could do then I would love to hear!!

What are your favourite lip products? Can you recommend any?

     History Never Repeats
                                          X

Everyday Makeup - The Eyes!!

Hello!!

Its all about the eyes today!!

I was ridiculously happy when I found out that Elle were giving away a mini version of this "Benefit They're Real" mascara back in May. I love Benefit. But due to being incredibly skint all the time, I only purchase their products when I have Boots points or on payday as a treat. But I have to say that this mascara is totally worth the money. The full size version is £19.50 whilst this mini version is £9.50. I absolutely love everything about this mascara. I much prefer this type of applicator as opposed to a bristle brush as I find these tend to make my eyelashes clump together. This applicator makes your lashes appear fuller and longer and separates them beautifully!! All the hype around this product is totally justified as it is amazing and I will definitely be repurchasing this when I build my boots points back up!! 

This eye pencil is by Natural Collection and is from Boots. I briefly mentioned this pencil in a previous post. Nikki (Lunar lights) got me this as part of my Christmas last year and I love it. It is such a natural brown shade and it blends in really well giving a really natural look. It is incredibly pigmented and is a definite repurchase for me.

Yet another real techniques brush for me to rave about. This is the lash-brow groomer from Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman and is £7.99 from Boots. This brush is perfect for keeping my eyebrows look a little less mad as they have a mind of their own and tend to go in all different directions!! The "precision comb" on this brush is perfect for separating my eyelashes before I apply mascara as well. Definitely a brush I would recommend!!

Another Elf product? Yes I have an addiction. This is the Wet Gloss Lash & Brow Clear Mascara and it is £1.50. Another amazing product to keep my eyebrows in order!! Not a lot to say except that this mascara is ideal for setting my eyebrows and keeping them in place all day. I have repurchased it a ridiculous amount of times and think it is an amazing product for only £1.50!!

What are your favourite eye products? Can you recommend any ?

                 History Never Repeats
                                                     X