Beauty Gems From April

FT: MAC Watch Me Simmer, MAC Patisserie, MAC Over Indulgence Cremesheen Glass, Clinique High Impact Curling Mascara, Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Oil Free

FT (excluding lipsticks): MAC Soba Eyeshadow, Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzing Powder in Original Chocolate, Revlon Pinched Photoready Cream Blush

It is that time of the month again! No, not that time of the month, but the time when a new month is approaching and all beauty bloggers and vloggers freak because they have to remember their favourite products from the month that is ending. Luckily I have been good this month and kept a list of all the products I wanted to mention! *stop typing to tap my shoulder* I might do a "second half" of this post where I go off on about other beauty products I have been loving such as skincare and haircare if that is something you'd all like?

Anyway, let's dive into this jumble of loveliness! First off: Lip products! For once I have been wearing something on my lips more or less everyday for a long period of time (I used to always get bored of reapplying and carrying around a lipstick...) and wait for it; I have been wearing a lipgloss! Some of you may know that I am not a huge lipgloss fan but this month I have been loving the combo of MAC's Patisserie with Over Indulgence over the top. This neutral, earthy-pink combo (earthy-pink, really? oh well I am awful at describing colours) makes a perfect everyday, sophisticated lip colour and the best part is that it lasts for quite a few hours before it needs any topping up! My other lip favourite has been Watch Me Simmer also by MAC! Super bright, coral/pink-y in colour and perfect for spring and summer! Wearing this makes me happy, and although it is a product that requires precise application it is super long lasting (it is an amplified lipstick) and very pigmented so once again, no need for frequent re-applications. That makes me a happy bunny.

Over to eyes! Only two products made it in this month and those were Clinique's very famous High Impact Curling Mascara and MAC's Soba Eyeshadow! Both are super products, obviously they woulden't be mentioned here if the weren't, and I have been using them both more or less everyday. The mascara is maybe not the best at curling but a coat of it over my Telescopic Waterproof mascara and my lashes look superb with volume, thickness, length and definition! The eyeshadow has been mentioned here on the blog before and there's nothing to say but that this is the best eyeshadow for a quick, all over the lid, wash of colour. 

Face, face, face, face. I have been loving my recent foundation routine and it is down to mainly two products. Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer and Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzing Powder will give anyone who asks for it a glowy, soft, airbrushed-looking skin. The tinted moisturizer has the consistency of something super silky smooth and the powder has warm, but not orange undertones which can give even me the illusion of a tanned face. Believe me, that's not all that easy. Last but not least, the Revlon Pinched Cream Blush is natural yet fresh and glow-giving with its hint of shimmer and peach tones. I loves it very much.

That was all of my favourite beauty products for the month of April, but I would love to hear about yours so please leave them in the comments or link me to you blogpost/video if you have one of them :) I would love to check it out and discover a few new products!

Lots of love,

Em

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A Pop of The Apocalypse

Well not the Apocalypse, but the Apocalips. The fairly new Rimmel product is everything but a dissapointment. Pigmentation - Check, lasting power - Check, smooth consistency - Check, and the list goes on. This is a badboy one should not mess with! I am serious - don't put this on and think you will be able to wipe it off without it leaving a trace. Hahah it does stain your lips for the hours it stays on, so if you go for one of the more boom in your face colours in the range, then make sure you know you want to wear it. Ok, so it might not be that big of a deal, some makeup remover will take it off but you get my point!  It is good.

In the pictures above I am wearing the lovely colour Stellar. A bright red with slight fuchsia under tones. As I mentioned, the consistency, longevity and pigmentation all fit a High End product criteria in my eyes, its only just that this is not a high end product! You get great quality, good colours and subtle shine with a slightly odd fruity scent for £5.99! It doesn't get much better than that, does it? 

I know these pictures doesn't have the greatest lighting, therefore I will leave the link to FleurDeForce's post on the same product (featuring all the other colours in the range as well) right HERE so that those of you who want close ups of each colour can check them out there :)

Before I go I just want to say that I have been loving connecting with you guys on Twitter lately, so if you want to chat, then head over here and say hi! 

Lots of Love,

Em

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Blue Crop

Now a days I long for summer and the end of exams more than words can express. I therefore end up spending too musch time on planning blogposts, taking OOTD pictures, hang out on Twitter, Instagram, various blogs and YouTube...not good. Exams start next thursday which means I need to focus on studying, but it is just do boring! I really sympathise with all of you who are also preparing for or are in the middle of exams!

Anyways, despite the temperature still being quite low-ish (10 degrees isn't really anything to brag about in the middle of April..) I have whacked out my cropped tops and short skirts! Obviously still wearing them tights but you know, it still counts! Right?

The other day I was sporting a fairly new, blue cropped top by New Look together with a black pencil skirt in cotton from Monki and some bangles from around the world - literally. The top has a gorgeous texture/print in the fabric that reminds me a little of aztec pattern but it just gives the top more dimension and a little somethin' somethin'. I really think New Look  does have a few gems in stock this year and they have stepped it up a notch with their collections which gives them a humongous thumbs up from me at least!

What do you bring out from your closet to prepare for the warmer months?

Let me know in the comments! :)

Lots of Love,

Em

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Saturday Skin Talk - The Glow

 

I decided to try something; A few posts set to specific topics and days. One of them will be Saturday Skin Talk, however I will not do one every saturday and some saturdays I might put up something else. But when I am in the mood for making a post about skin (foundation-tips/highlighter/ bronzer/blush/skincare etc) I will do it on a Saturday :) I will also come with a few more of these, although I haven't decided on which ones so if you have a suggestions or a request then let me know in the comments and I will be sure to read through them!

On today's agenda is "the glow". I know dewy and glowing skin has been huge on the SS13 runways this year, however it is not always easy to know which products are the best to use for different skin types/tones as using the "wrong" products and the application of them can sometimes lead to a shiny disaster...

Therefore I bring to you, my lovely readers;

Glowy Summer Skin 1-0-1!

I am no expert but I do know the basics (I am sure many of you do to), so to break it down for you into Do's and Don'ts:

Do use bronzer on the areas of your face where the sun would naturally hit you (forehead/hairline, cheeks/cheekbones, bridge of the nose and on your chin.

Do apply any shimmer/highlighter to the high-points of your face only. (E.g. Cheekbones, nose-bridge, cupids-bow).

Do make sure to blend the bronzer/highlighter or blush well enough for it to look natural.

Do choose colours that suits your skin tone. 

Do use cream products if you have dry or normal skin. Be careful with creams and too much shimmer in the products if you tend to get oily as it might end up looking very shiny - and that is not in a good way. (Powders are good for most skin types, except maybe very dry skins as they might end up looking patchy/flakey)

Don't use colours that are too dark for your skin tone. If they are slightly darker, make sure to blend properly and consider taking it lightly down your neck to make the transition seamless and natural.

Don't contour with your bronzer (at least not if it has any shimmer). Choose a cooler toned bronzer or an actual contour product instead.

Don't apply bronzer/blush in bad lighting. Try to get as natural light as possible, and if you do not have a lamp that provides this, apply your make-up near a window!

Don't take your blush too high/low/close to your nose as that will look unnatural and is less likely to be flattering than if you focus it on the apples of the cheeks and take it up along the cheekbones toward the temples.

Product Recommendations: 
Oily Skin: Go for powders that have little to no shimmer and apply them after you have set your foundation with a setting powder. Finish off with a setting spray such as MAC Fix + or one of the Urban Decay ones (e.g DeSlick). This way your glow will stay on better and longer, as  well as looking more natural than if you would skip the setting spray.

TopShop do some great powder highlighters that would be perfect and for blush and bronzer pretty much any brand has some good powder formulas these days but to mention some: Maybeline (the Dream Terra Sun Bronzer - i think- is supposedly very nice), Too Faced Chocolate Soleil, MAC blushers, Sleek blushers. 

Dry Skin: If you have dry to very dry skin, keep an eye out for cream products! They will give some moisture to your skin whilst adding life and sheen to the face. No need to set your makeup with a spray/powder, just apply foundation and go straight into your bronzer, blush and highlight! 

You all know how much I love the Chanel Bronze Universal cream bronzer, and for someone with dry skin this would work very well! Try one of the TopShop Cream Highlighters or maybe go for one by MAC - I know the colour Pearl is on my shopping list! Revlon do incredible cream blushers and so does Stila I have heard, so I suggest having a look at those if you want non-sticky but still creamy products!

Normal Skin: Here comes the lucky ones! If your skin is fairly normal/combination then all the products mentioned above will most likely suit your needs. Just get the application right and know what your skin needs regarding setting powders/sprays and you will be well off. 

Those were all my do's and don'ts and tips for getting glowy skin this Spring/Summer! I hope this helped some of you, and if it did or if you have any points you would like to add then please let me know in the comments! :)

If you have any requests for future posts of this kind (any beauty/fashion/life related topic you would like some help/information about!) let me know and I will try do it as one of the next "specialised" posts.

I wish you all good luck with getting your glow on! :)

- Em

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Summer Style: The Festival Re-run

As the sun has left my dear old city for a little while (she's been here for over 2 consistent months, so can't complain) and given us grey skies and rain, I found my self longing even more for the long, hot summer days, wearing light summer clothes. So since I am already stuck in bed with my annual cold I figured I might as well go ahead and share a few outfits I cannot wait to sport this summer!

Whilst my mind was wandering my immune system shut down - apparently I use my energy for daydreaming rather than keep myself healthy - and this has led to me getting sick once again, I. Hurray for that, eh?

Back to the topic of summer fashion. As you may know I am going to "T in the park" which is a music festival in the south of Scotland, due to this a lot of the summer outfits I put together in my head are festival apt. Still I want to share some with you, and so I have decided to make a little series out of this and share one outfit a a week more or less for the next few months! Sounds good? 

Today I decided to go for a very traditional festival look. Distressed denim shorts (Levi's), Cropped T-shirt with fringes (H&M), mismatch of jewellery and of course; round, brown sunglasses (Urban Outfitters). I love this kind of casual, laid-back style for any occasion when the weather allows it, not only at festivals. 

Nail Polishes F.L: Sparkle and Fade (does not have a name, but it was bought at Urban Outfitters), L'oréal Colour Riche in Blue Reef, TopShop Nails in Jewel In The Crown

I hope you enjoyed this look and the way I presented it, if you did, then please let me know in the comments and be sure to look out for the next "Summer Style"post! 

Ps: I just joined "Independent Fashion Bloggers" so if you have an account there, feel free to add me as a friend! Other than that, I still have all my links listed below ;)

Lots of love,

Em

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Laugh Away The Boredom

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, I spend most of my time exam studying now a days,  and I went to Oslo to see Mumford And Sons on thursday and only got back yesterday, and today I have been bed-bound and sick so not in a blogger friendly position. However I am feeling much better and thought I would blog a little.

I have previously said that I might pop in with some random posts and today's will be one of those. As some of you might know I am a YouTube addict and over the past year or so I have grown quite the subscription list. I find that on days like today (sick-days) or on rainy, long and boring days where you desperately want some humour and entertainment, YouTube is your bestest friend. Therefore I want to share some of my favourite "get-me-in-a-good-mood" videos with you guys, so that if you ever feel the need to smile, laugh, or stalk someones everyday life for a bit you can check these out!

I decided to go for random, funny ones this time and I have to say that it was hard not to choose more as I find too many of them fun, but oh well let's start out with these eh?

If you would like me to do more of these, let me know! I would be happy to share my favourites amongst beauty/fashion/pranks/challenges/tags etc - whatever you would like! 

If you want to know about other videos I love, then you can follow me on twitter (link is below) where I tweet about many  of the videos I watch. Hope you enjoyed the videos and that they made you crack a little smile! Let me know which one was your favourite, and if you know about any more, let me know in the comments!

Lots of Love and Laughter,

 Em

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Summer Edition

Spring and summer is slowly sneaking up on us and with it comes brighter, lighter and longer days which means that a change-up in the make-up and beauty bag might be about time. I have popped a few of my spring/summer beauty picks into my summery-blue H&M bag (much love for this baby) and thought I would share them with you. Included are 4 nail polishes in super bright, happy colours, a sunscreen, a body lotion, a lip butter and a BB cream! 

The body lotion is from a beauty store called Kicks who have their own beauty products including this Fruit Punch smelling treasure. It's light, non-sticky, moisturising, fresh smelling (fruity) and has a super cute packaging! What more can you ask for in a body lotion? Of course moisture is not the only thing our skin needs in the warmer months. As the sun appears more frequently we need protection against its evil twin (I'm looking at you UVA/UVB). I have a mini version of the Biotherm Lait Solaire SPF30 and I think I might go get a full size of it sooner rather than later because this is one heck of a good 'un. You know why? Because it does not go sticky and "oily" on your skin and face such as all other sun protectors. The scent is citrus-y and fresh and quite appropriate for summer :) As for face, I guess I am not the only one who prefer lighter bases during the summer months, and for now the L'oréal Nude Magique BB Cream is amongst the top competitors as my go-to light, dewy(but not shiny) summer base. It evens out the skin tone whilst providing a light coverage that leaves the skin looking healthy and glowing. I approve. Revlon Lip Butters have been under the spotlight ever since they arrived and I have selected the pink coloured Sweet Tart as my smooth, moisturising, summer lip colour. Then comes the nails. 4 were selected and they will stay close to my fingertips until the early autumn months. The lucky ones are Dior Acapulco, Essie She's Pampered, Essie Bahama Mama and Essie Mint Candy Apple (Featured in my March Favourites video). All are gorgeous in colour, opacity, longevity and consistency. Check, check, check and check!

Other than that I love loose and messy hair, laidback - slightly hippy/retro clothes, coral and peachy lip colours and converse shoes. They all go together so well in the summer months.

I would love to know what your summer/spring beauty picks are so let me know in the comments or maybe in a blogpost on your blog in you have one (just leave me the link if so). 

Lots of love,

Em

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Old Classic

Lately I have been loving a good winged liner with a little retro shadow to go with it. In other words "The Old Hollywood Glamour Classic". There are tons of tutorial and "how-to's" on how to create the perfect wing on your liner, but despite their different methods there is one thing they all have in common: PRACTICE!

I have tried, and tried again a hundred times to get my liner right, and finally I feel I know my eyes well enough to make the wing the right angle, length and width to suit them. A few week ago I went to a birthday party and did my make-up in a slight retro-inspired cut-crease with, of course, a winged eyeliner. Here is an overview of the products I used and how I did it all:

I stated by creating a base for my eyeshadow + liner by usind Urban Decay Primer Potion, then I packed on MAC Omega Eyeshadow all over the lid as well as in the crease using my Sigma E60  Large Shader Brush. Next I added MAC Espresso Eyeshadow with my Sigma E45 Small Tapered Blending Brush through the crease, making sure not to take it down towards the lashes in the outer corner but rather "flick" it out and upwards (very subtle "flick") to create more of that retro feel. I then blended any harsh lines with a Sigma E25 Blending Brush. Ok, eyeshadow done, now to the tricky part or as I like to call it the you-need-to-have-a-steady-hand-for-this part. The winged eyeliner. A tip to make this part less messy is to

1. Keep your hand steady by relaxing it against your face (in an appropriate angle that is) 

2. Start from the middle, make a thin line to the end of your eye, then do the inner half of the eyeliner. For this I used the L'oréal Super Liner Carbon Gloss. 3. Look straight ahead and put a dot where you want your wing to end, then connect the dot with the outer corner of your eyeliner. 4. Fill in your wing/ make the wing as thick as you want it and thicken up the eyeliner as well depending on what look you are going for. I kept mine quite thin. 5. Add mascara (I used 

L'oréal False Lash Telescopic Waterproof Mascara) and false lashes if you'd like (I used Eylure Pre-Glued Lashes #117) and voila!

That is how I do my classic, glamorous winged liner. If you try it yourself, let me know how it went, and if you have a blog/twitter/instagram and post a picture of it then share it with me as I would love to see your twist! Also if you have any other tips for applying liner, share them in the comments! :)

Lots of love,

- Em

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