Everyday Makeup - The Concealer!!

Hello!!

On to the Concealer!!

This is the under eye concealer and highlighter from Elf and it is £3.75. After using the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer for a while, I felt like a change and this happened to be at the same time as Elf was having a huge sale so I thought I would give this one a try. I am an absolute sucker for packaging so I loved the two products in one thing. I had never really used a highlighter before and thought as I was getting two products in one I would give this one a go. However it would seem that what I gained in packaging and convenience I lost in product quality as I didn't really like the highlighter that much. It didn't really show up on my face unless I used loads which just made me look like a ghost. However I really like this concealer. It has a nice consistency and is such a natural shade (I picked the shade "fair"). Don't be put off by the photos which have made it look slightly orange (ah Scottish lighting), it definitely does not look at all orange on the face. I use it mainly under my eyes but it is great for the other problem areas I have. However, I don't think I would repurchase this purely for the fact that I don't use the highlighter. Nikki (Lunar Lights) has highly recommended the Bourjois Healthy Mix concealer and as part of my new addiction to Bourjois I think I will try this one next!!

This is the pointed foundation brush from Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman and is part of the Core Collection. This brush says its for foundation but like all the Real Techniques brushes it can be used with so many different products!! I find this is great for under my eyes and it doesn't take long at all because of the size of the brush. It is tapered towards the top which makes it perfect for concealing the side of the nose and around the whole face. I would definitely recommend this brush!!

What are your favourite concealers at the moment?


History Never Repeats.

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Everyday Makeup Products - The Powder!

Hello!

So back to the everyday makeup series and today's product is powder!!

This pressed powder is from Natural Collection and is £1.99 from Boots. I chose the shade "neutral". This is a good product. It rids your face of any shine and sets your makeup and for that price its great. However it doesn't have much staying power and I don't think it made my makeup last any longer. I will keep using this until it runs out because it does do the job but I think I would like to try the Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder next. I have heard and read such wonderful things about it!! 

This powder brush is from the Studio collection by Elf and it is £3.75. This brush is the only brush that I use that I think contends the Real Techniques brushes. The quality of this brush is amazing. It definitely feels a lot more expensive than it is and it is so soft. This brush is great for applying powder, cream foundations, just about anything and because it is so big, it doesn't take long at all!! I would definitely recommend this brush as a cheaper alternative that works just as well as some of the high end make up brushes!

What are your favourite powders? Can you recommend any for dry skin?

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The Liebster Award!!

Hello!!

So I have decided to take a "one post break" from my everyday makeup series because I recently found out that the lovely Nicola Stewart Galton had nominated me for a Liebster Award! This is an award for blogs with less than 200 followers!

                                   

 So here are the rules:

- Share 11 random facts about yourself.

- Answer the 11 questions given to you by the person who nominated you.

- Nominate blogs with less than 200 followers and let them know they have been nominated. 

- Create 11 new questions for your chosen bloggers. 

- No tag backs. 

Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start!!

11 Random Facts About Me

1. I was called "Hannah" for the entire duration of my Mum's pregnancy until about 5 minutes after I was born when my parents changed their minds!! This must be where I get my indecisiveness from!!

2. I have an addiction to maltesers. 

3. I can (make an attempt to) "play" 3 musical instruments. Piano, drums and guitar.

4. I love dancing and I used to go to classes from when I was 9 until I was 17 and giving it up is one of my biggest regrets.

5. My favourite film is Back To The Future.

6. I would love to live abroad one day. (Barcelona and Paris will do just nicely!!)

7. My favourite colour is yellow.

8. I am currently attempting to learn Spanish, French and German. Hola! Bonjour! Hallo!

9. I love musicals and don't think I will ever be able to decide my favourite!

10. The Simpsons is my favourite programme of all time. 

11. I have to buy at least one nail polish everytime I go into Boots or Superdrug. This has resulted in a rather large collection!!

11 Questions from Nicola Stewart Galton!!

1. What made you want to start blogging? 

It was a combination of things. I love beauty products and I was obsessed with reading reviews. I loved the reliability of reviews I would read on blogs because you were getting an honest opinion and not just another "review" created by a company wanting to sell their "amazing" product to you.  Whilst reading these blogs and watching youtube channels I then came across lifestyle posts videos and I loved seeing what people were up to, it was so interesting. At the same time my best friend Nikki (over at The Lunar Lights) had been blogging for a while and encouraged me to start my own one. After some persuasion here we are, I wish I had started it sooner!!

2. What's your number 1 beauty product? 

The answer to this changes monthly but right now it is definitely the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum. A face product that doesn't settle in my dry skin and make it look drier and make it look moisturised but at the same time not make my face look super shiny. I love it!

4. Favourite make-up brand?

This is a difficult one as I love and use so many. I love Bourjois these days and if I have boots points or feel like treating myself I absolutely love Benefit! But then I love my old faithful Elf! I will never have one answer for this question!! 

5. What's the weirdest or most unusual beauty tip you know? This could just be one you've heard of, it doesn't have to be one you actually follow! It could be anything.

Not technically beauty but I remember trying the "putting an egg through your hair when washing it" thing when I was younger to make it look shiny! It does work!! Apparently doing the same thing but with beer gives your hair a real shine but I don't think I would want to walk about smelling like a brewery or a hangover all day! 

6. Do you have anything natural or DIY in your beauty routine? If so, what? Coconut oil is my current favourite.

Nothing specific but I love using coconut and honey based products!!

7. What's your favourite book? 

I am still a big kid so "Fantastic Mr. Fox" by Roald Dahl will always be my favourite but my favourite "grown up" book is "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

8. If you were on Come Dine With Me, what would you cook? 

It would definitely have to be Italian food of some sort because I don't think you can ever go wrong with a nice pasta dish! Though I would most likely burn it or something so beans on toast never fails and is so underrated!!

9. How many pairs of shoes do you own? 

I don't own anywhere near the amount I would like to! I probably have about 20 pairs (about half those are wedges as I seem to have a slight addiction).

10. Dream job (again, could be anything)?

I have always wanted my dream job to involve music, travel, dance, blogging. If there's a magical job where I can combine all that then I would definitely do that!! Maybe a travelling session musician who blogs about it!! 

11. If you could go anywhere in the world on holiday, where would you go and why? 

I would literally go anywhere if it meant I was getting a holiday because I love travelling. One place that is right at the top of my places to see is New York. I have always been fascinated with it since I was young!

My questions for my nominees!!

1. What is your favourite thing about blogging?

2. Do you prefer beauty or lifestyle posts?

3. Favourite TV show?

4. If you were stuck on a desert island and you could only take 1 beauty item, what would it be?

5. Favourite season of the year?

6. Do you prefer your birthday or Christmas?

7. Favourite meal?

8. Favourite song/songs which inspire you in anyway?

9. Favourite Disney film (or any film you liked when you were young)?

10. If you had to move to another place in the world and live there forever, where would it be?

11. If you could go back in time and give advice to your younger self what would it be?

 My Nominated Blogs (Click on names to visit blogs)

- Gaga About Beauty

- Laura-Beth

- Love In Modern Life 

- Miss Stylicious

- The Sunshine giRL 

- Nature With Nurture

- Beauty Loves

- love, Tilly

- Truly Scrumptious

- Tea and Lipsticks

- A Little Gem

This is a great way to find new blogs! It would be great if you could leave a comment with the link to your answers!!

Hope you enjoyed that and thanks again to Nicola for nominating me!!

Looking forward to reading the answers!!


History Never Repeats.


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Everyday Makeup Products - The Blusher!

Hello!!

So on to the second part of the Everyday makeup series!!

The Blusher!

This blusher is by Elf and is from the Mineral Collection. It is normally £5.00 (I got it for £2.50 when everything was 50% off!! I love Elf!!) and is in the shade "joy". I have to admit that I used to have a fear of blusher. I was always scared that I would use too much or that the shade would be too bright and I would end up looking like a clown!! But this fear wouldn't stop me buying them so after building up quite a collection I decided to just bite the bullet. I am very glad I did because I love wearing blusher now and I no longer have a drawer full of products I never wear!! 

This one from Elf is currently my favourite and the one I use everyday, I love it! I really like the colour of this blusher. It is a very natural light pink with almost peach tones through it. It is very lightweight on the skin and is incredibly pigmented (it took me ages to realise how much was enough for one application!!).  The only thing I would say is that because this is a loose powder (and no matter how carefully I have opened it) it goes absolutely everywhere (as you can see in the photo!!). I would love it if Elf made a pressed powder version of this blusher. However I really love it and I will defintely be repurchasing it!!

This blush brush is from Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman and is £9.99 from Boots. This blush brush is the best make up brush I have ever used. Ever. It is the fluffiest, softest brush in the world (slight exaggeration maybe but its the fluffiest brush I have ever used).  

This brush applies product perfectly. It's slightly tapered at the top so it picks up a good amount of product. It blends really well and is good for applying powder as well!! This is definitely one of my holy grail products!! Did I mention how fluffy it is?

What is your favourite blusher at the moment? 

History Never Repeats.

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Everyday Makeup Products - The Foundation!

Hello! 

I recently came back from a few days holiday (which I will do a post on soon) and I have not blogged in a while, so to ease myself back in I thought I would do a series of posts on my everyday makeup items!

The Foundation!

This is the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum and I bought this from boots for £10.99. So this isn't technically a foundation but it does a similar job! I purchased this in May after hearing so many bloggers and vloggers raving about it and I shall now join them! I love this product!  As someone with very dry skin this serum is ideal. It has mid to full coverage and a real dewy finish which gives the skin a glow almost acting like a bb cream rather than a foundation. The only thing about products with this type of finish is that they can sometimes lean towards "shiny territory" (which this product can be guilty of) but with a good powder this can be quickly fixed. 

As someone from Scotland I have a rather pale complexion so I have picked shade 51 in light vanilla which is almost the perfect shade for me.  I sometimes refer to it as "my skin in a bottle"! Another thing I love about this product is the scent. When I buy a foundation or bb cream I am never really basing my purchasing of it on the smell, unless it is noticeably bad. But this has a really nice fresh fruity kind of scent which is an added bonus. 

I would definitely repurchase the Healthy Mix Serum, especially in the summer, as it is very light on the skin whilst still providing a nice coverage. I would now love to try all the products from the Healthy Mix Range and I think I will give the foundation a go next as I have heard great things about it. 

To apply this serum I have been using the buffing brush by Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman. This particular brush is only available as part of the Core Collection which is £21.99 from Boots. I love Real Techniques so much!! This buffing brush in particular is great for applying this product. It is really dense so it buffs the product into the skin beautifully. I have made it my mission to own every single real techniques brush that is available!

Have you used any of the products in the healthy mix range?  What would you recommend?

History Never Repeats.

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My First Empties Post!!

Guten Tag!

I really like reading empties posts because unlike a haul you can actually say whether you like the product or not and if you would purchase it again. I have managed to collect a small handful of empty products over the past few months! Most of the products are skincare with a few haircare thrown in.

Hair Products

 After going through the products in the bathroom and finding at least 8 different shampoos, I made it my mission to use them up before purchasing anymore! "Glad Hair Day" by Soap & Glory was one of the last ones I used because the scent put me off. I do really love Soap & Glory a lot but a few of their products (especially the righteous butter which I do think is amazing apart from the scent) have a fragrance which I am just not a big fan of at all.  This shampoo has a milder form of this scent. But when it was the only shampoo left I had no choice. How glad am I that there was no other option that day! 

I absolutely love this shampoo! Whenever you read hair products they claim they can make your hair dreams come true and make your hair completely flawess and fix every imperfection you have ever experienced when styling your hair. It doesn't make your hair perfect but it does exactly all the things it claims to, "gloss, smooth, repair, strengthen". My hair has definitely felt smoother and there has been a noticeable difference on the ends of my hair. I have been attempting to grow my hair since January and the longer it gets the more attention it needs. It has felt flat and quite dry but this shampoo has given my hair a complete overhaul. I was always a believer of "lather, rinse and ALWAYS repeat" but with this there is absolutely no need. One application is enough which saves time and money because you are not having to go out and repurchase it all the time and at £5.50 I am extremely glad of this. I used this up about two weeks ago and haven't had a chance to buy it again and I have noticed a difference since I stopped using it. My hair feels drier and is a little frizzier than normal. I will definitely be repurchasing this and all the "Glad Hair Day" range and I have managed to get past the scent of this product after seeing what it has done to my hair!

 My "use up all the shampoos" mission extended to conditioners and this is one of my favourites. It is the John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Moisturising conditioner and is £5.59 from boots. I used to be a believer (or a complete sucker) in using the same brand of shampoo and conditioner because it will have better results but I have now realised that it makes little or no difference. I have used this conditioner on and off for a few years now and I love it. It really conditions your hair and leaves it soft all day.  I have found that some conditioners only make your hair soft when you are actually applying the product. The second you rinse it the nice softness disappears. But this conditioner leaves your hair feeling really soft with a nice shine and like the Soap & Glory shampoo a little goes a long way so you don't have to keep repurchasing it which is always a bonus!

Skincare

 As if anything else needs to be written, blogged, vlogged about the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser. This cleanser has completely changed my life. 

Now that statement might sound a bit dramatic but when you have spent years and a lot of money searching for the perfect cleanser for dry sensitive skin that doesn't aggravate eczema then that response is understandable! My best friends got me this for my birthday and I will be forever grateful to them for that. I love everything about this product. It has made my skin softer and brighter. This will forever be in my group of holy grail beauty products. 

I got this Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic with boots vouchers I got for my birthday in May. This tonic has all the same great qualites as the hot cloth cleanser. It is extremely gentle and it brightens the skin. A lot of toners I have used in the past have left my skin feeling quite tight but I haven't felt that with this tonic at all. I also really love the packaging.  The cap twists up and down so there is no need to mess about with lids and it doesn't allow for the entire contents to spill out when you first use it. As with the cleanser I will be adding this to my list of holy grail products. 

(Apologies for the bottle looking a tad squished, it has since been "CUT IN HALF" in an attempt to get the last of the product out!)

I purchased this "Neutrogena pink grapefruit oil-free moisturiser" after I was advised by my doctor to get an oil free moisturiser even though I have extremely dry skin. I have completely forgotten the reason why this was a better option for dry skin but I definitely feel a difference since using it. I thought it wouldn't moisturise my skin the same but I was very wrong. The consistency of this product is very light and incredibly moisturising. It makes my skin feel refreshed and I have actually found that it works really well as a primer for my make up. The only thing I would say is that the scent is quite strong. I didn't realise when I was buying this that there is a fragrance free version so I will be picking that one up next time. This is a really good quality product for a great price (£3.33 from Boots). 

This "Enchanted Eye Cream" is from Lush and it is £11.50. I love lush. I had never really got anything from there except bath bombs until I was researching eye creams and this product had a lot of great reviews. I have to agree with the reviews I read. This is a really nice cream. It is a very light, gentle cream ideal for use in such a sensitive area as around the eye. I would say that this does make your eyes appear brighter and it it does soothe puffiness but for me it hasn't diminished my dark circles at all. This wouldn't stop me from buying the product again as I will probably have dark circles no matter what product I use. However just for variety I think I am going to try the Liz Earle eye cream as I have heard great things about that as well. This enchanted eye cream is a tad pricey for only 45g but that amount goes a ridiculously long way. I bought this in January and now in August it is only just coming to an end. I also love the packaging. I think most products like moisturisers and foundations should have a pump applicator because you don't waste as much product! 

Now  I have an excuse for a boots visit to repurchase all my favourite empties products on payday!! 

What products have you been using up recently? 

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Elf Loves Collection! - Part Dos

Bonjour!

And so to the second part of the Elf Loves Collection! - Lips & Face 

Lips

This lip tint is £3.50 and is in the shade "blush". It is incredibly moisturising and gives the lips a nice subtle colour, more than a lip balm less than a lipstick. I really like this product but if I were buying it I would probably have went for one of the darker shades like "berry", a deeper pinky, purple colour. This just gives me an excuse to add another thing to my evergrowing elf wishlist!

This lipstick is £1.50 and is in the shade "nude pink". This will be my first negative review of an elf product! First of all the colour is nothing like the colour on the website. It looks more like one of the other shades, "baby lips". Secondly this has a peppermint scent which  I am not a fan of at all as I feel that it actually makes my lips chapped (I'm weird I know). However this is just my personal opinion and if you are a fan of lip products such as the burts bees peppermint lip balm or carmex then you will probably like this liquid lipstick and at £1.50 it is still great value.

The last lip product included in the collection is the super glossy lip shine in "strawberry". This gloss smells amazing and it is "super glossy" on the lips. I did find it moisturising but slightly sticky at the same time (if that's even possible!). I don't tend to wear lip gloss but I would maybe put this on top of one of my lipsticks if I was going out of a night, just to give my lips a nice shine. 

Face

 "These lightly dusted shimmer sheets create a gorgeous glow on the apples of the cheeks". I have to be honest, it wasn't until I read this that I had a clue how to use these. When I opened the packet there was an explosion of glitter all over my room. Even now, a month after I received them I still find random bits of glitter in my room. It went too far when I found a speck of glitter on my toothbrush! How does that even happen?! I'm sure in the hands of someone who knows how to use these properly, you would achieve a nice glittery glow but I have only managed to make myself look like a disco ball! These are in the shade bronze and are £3.75 for 20 sheets.

This blusher is in the shade "glow". This is a really nice colour, a pale pinky peach shade. It is fairly pigmented and blends really nicely. It has a nice shimmer to it which I don't usually like in a blusher but this gives off a natural glow rather than just a shiny face (which I try to avoid)! My only complaint would be the brush that you get with it. It is quite rough and scratchy and the bristles were already falling out of it when I got it. Apart from that, this is a really nice blusher for £2.50.

This is my absolute favourite product I got in the collection and that is purely down to the scent of these wipes. I want to eat them (judge me until you smell them). They are vanilla and coconut lotion wipes that can be used wherever needed to moisturise and hydrate the skin. There are have many different scents available on the website but if I was buying them I would've definitely picked these ones anyway. They are super moisturising and if I haven't already mentioned they smell amazing (like summer). I will definitely be repurchasing these!

I was really happy with the majority of this collection and it was a great opportunity to try products which I might not have picked myself!! 

What are your favourite elf products? Have you tried any of the products mentioned? 

History Never Repeats.

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