An Update and May Favourites!

Well hello again! I am so sorry that I haven't been able to post for such a long time but I have been so busy with revision, interviews and appointments it's unreal! I have finally managed to sit down and start blogging again as I now have an ambulatory EEG fitted! For those who have no idea on what I'm talking about, this is a type of scan that measures the electricity in the brain. This is for my epilepsy which I have given some information about in my Purple Day Nails post. An EEG consists of a large amount of electrodes which are like little metal dots that are glued and taped onto the head in certain places and send the signals that the brain makes (brainwaves) to a machine. As I have to keep the electrodes on for a couple of days, mine is small and able to be carried around but there are different types of EEG machine as most tests are done in hospitals. It is painless and the worst thing about it is probably being unable to shower with it on!

Not the most attractive look!

Anyways, back to the beauty blogging! As it is now the end of May (I have absolutely no idea on how it came round so quickly!) I have decided to do a favourites post. I haven't had many this month as I haven't tried out many new products. I'll start with skin products. First up is the Soltan Aftersun Hydrating Lotion (Boots, 400ml, £3.99). At the end of April, I went on a trip with college to Thorpe Park which was amazing! The park was really empty so we managed to get on loads of the rides. Me and my friend got front seats on the ride Stealth which caused my nose and cheeks to become nastily windburnt. The chemist recommended me to use a aftersun and as I always use Soltan's sun-cream (most others cause me allergic reactions), I tried theirs. The burn took ages to heal but the lotion was amazing. It didn't block my pores, was soothing, not at all greasy, sunk in very quickly and didn't cause my make-up to smudge. It was really cheap and I will be using it throughout summer. I have also been loving the Soft Coeur Massage Bar (Lush, 30g, £4.75). I rub this over my body after a shower and it leaves my skin very soft and smelling amazing. This is also great for dry patches of skin.

 

 

Soft Coeur is so pretty!

Next up is make-up. Firstly the mascara Avon Super Enchant Mascara. I bought this from Avon such a long time ago that I think it has been discontinued. The mascara itself is not amazing but the wand is incredible and curls and lifts all of my lashes. If anyone knows of a mascara available with the same shaped wand, let me know! I have also started getting back into wearing eyeshadows and I wanted a cheap neutral palette. I love essie-button (her blog posts and YouTube videos are great!) and she's often featuring her MUA palette. I have looked all over my local Superdrug for the same one and I cannot find it but there is one similar Heaven and Earth (Superdrug, 12 colours, £4.00). The neutrals in this are so pretty and suit blue eyes perfectly. The shadows also stay all day and all the colours are usable. I also have recently been loving a sample of the Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation (30ml, £27.50). This foundation has an amazing coverage that evens out skin-tone and covers blemishes without it looking cakey. I got matched to the shade Cool Bone in Debenhams but I have found it slightly orange so I'll probably go back to see if another shade would suit me better. Although it is expensive, I'll defiantly purchase this foundation when I find the best shade for my skin.

 

 

Love the colours on the MUA Palette!

I haven't been painting my fingernails much recently but I have been trying to make my feet look nice for sandals and flip flops. As the primary colours are coming into fashion this summer I dug out a bright red colour. I think this may have also been discontinued but it was from Rimmel's I love lasting finish range. It has lasted for weeks on my toes so I will purchase varnishes from Rimmel again!

Double Decker Red.

Lastly are a couple of hair products. First is the Aussie Luscious Long Leave in Conditioner (Boots, 250ml, £4.99). This stuff is amazing! I don't like conditioning my hair when I wash it as I find that my hair becomes oily and my scalp becomes aggravated but on a day to day basis, my hair often feels very dry and damaged and is in desperate need of a cut. I spray this onto my hair after towel drying avoiding my scalp (unless it is feeling like straw) and leave it to dry naturally to prevent further heat damage. By the morning my hair feels soft and appears much less frizzy. Anyone with long hair should give this a go! Lastly is the Alberto Balsam Shampoo in Tea Tree Tingle (Superdrug, 400ml, £0.99). I used to use this all the time when I was at primary school and when I saw a bottle of this that my mum put by the bath, I had to try it again! This isn't a shampoo that claims to work magic but it does a great job at giving a proper clean. Tea Tree is a natural antiseptic so it soothes the scalp and also gets rid of dirt that other shampoos may not get. This smells great and is so cheap, I'll be continuing to use this every so often alongside my other shampoos.

An amazing combination!

And that is it! I hope to start blogging more regularly as I have really missed it and shall have another post up soon.

Emily x 

Polka Dot Nails!

Spring is finally starting to show and I'm loving it (apart from my hayfever)! Today was slightly chilly so I decided to have a lazy Sunday in. I also decided to paint my nails with a spring theme.

Springtime!

Recently I invested in a Nail Decoration Tool from Avon (Avon Catalogue £3.00). I used the end part which has a tiny metal ball on the end for the dots. It took a while for me to get to used to this and creating the same sized dots but it was really handy! The other end is a small brush which I haven't tried using yet but will be useful for lines and patterns.

Nail Decoration Tool

The blue is Barry M's Gelly High Shine Nail Paint in the shade 'Blueberry' (Boots, £3.99). This is a bright blue colour that will look great for spring and summer time. It doesn't take too long to dry and only takes a couple of coats for the colour in the bottle. This is reasonably priced and I would recommend these nail paints to anyone as there is a huge range of colours. For the polka dots I used a Nails Inc polish in the shade 'Floral Street' (nailsinc.com, £11). This is quite a pricey product but it stays for ages and is great for manicure nail tips so it should last with my polka dot design. I didn't try to make the dots neat as I was getting used to the tool but I think they look pretty anyway! 

Freshly painted nails!

I hope everyone is well and has had a great weekend!
Emily x

Current Make-Up Bag!

Today I decided to sort out my bag and decided that I'd do a post on what make-up I carry about with me if take my make-up bag out. I usually always take out a lip balm and a mirror but if I'm intending on spending more than a few hours out, I'll take out some essentials. I have also found an old camera that seems to be doing a better job than my iPod so hopefully my photos will be better!

 

Make-up to take out!

Firstly I have my make-up bag which I love! I got this for my birthday so I don't know how much it costs but I know that it was from Tesco. It's not too big or small and would fit a couple more things in than what is shown. Also there is my mirror, this doesn't fit in the make-up bag along with the make-up but I just keep it in my handbag. This was a gift from about 5 or 6 years ago so I doubt you'd be able to find it anywhere! I do know that it was from Accessorize so they may sell something similar.

 

Face Products

Next up is the face products. I still haven't found a foundation that suits my skin tone or skin type (recommendations would be appreciated!) but I did go to the Clinique counter for advice. The lady gave me some of their BB cream to try in the shade '001' (Age Defense BB Cream SPF 30, £25.00 40ml). As this has a light coverage it is a close match to my skin tone and I do like the formulation and the fact that it has a high SPF. The sample is lasting for ages so if I can't find anything in the mean time then I'll purchase this. I also use the e.l.f Tone Correcting Concealer in the shade 'Ivory' (eyeslipsface.co.uk, £1.50). This blends into any foundation or just plain skin. Also featured is the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in the shade 'Transparent' (Boots, £3.99) which is just a good setting powder. This also helps to make my skin look less oily and can also give a good coverage when built. The blusher that I am enjoying for spring is the e.l.f Blush with Brush in the shade 'Shy' (eyeslipsface.co.uk, £2.50). The brush with this is pretty rubbish but I blend it with my e.l.f Total Face Brush (eyeslipsface.co.uk, £1.50). This is also a great colour for spring.

Brushes

The two brushes in this make-up bag are the e.l.f Total Face Brush as mentioned above and the Real Techniques Foundation Brush (Boots, £9.99) which applies liquid foundations and BB creams evenly and without streaks.

Eye Products

I have quite a few eye products that I carry round with me but these frequently change. First is the Benefit Bad Gal Lash Mascara (Boots, £17.50) this is great for separating and lifting the lashes. It is quick and easy to apply and stays all day. Matching with this is the Benefit Bad Gal Waterproof Liner (Boots, £15.00). This is waterproof to the rain but I'm a bit nervous to test this in a pool! It stays all day and goes on really easily. I also use the e.l.f Shimmer Eyeliner Pencil in the shade Gunmetal (eyeslipsface.co.uk, £1.50) which also stays all day. It's a nice and softer alternative to black and the sharpening cap is also very useful! 

For brows, I recently invested in the Benefit Instant Brow Pencil in the shade 'Light' (Boots, £15.00). I know I may seem a bit Benefit crazy but I had been looking for a light brow pencil or powder for a long time. My brows are light and I always end up buying pencils that are too dark. This pencil doesn't show as being dark and fills in the sparse parts of my brows well. It also comes with a spoolie on the end to brush the colour through. I would recommend this pencil to anyone with light eyebrows! I also use the e.l.f Wet Gloss Lash and Brow Clear Mascara (eyeslipsface.co.uk, £1.50) to set my brows for the day. This doesn't flake and goes on smoothly, for £1.50 I would also recommend this to anyone.

Handy Spoolie!

I also carry a sharpener and a pair of tweezers just in case!

Lastly is the lip products. I don't carry many as I keep room for the lipstick/colour that I might be wearing on the day. I do however keep my Seventeen Supreme Shine Lipstick in the shade 'Kissable' with me (Boots, £4.99). This is a sheer pink that is wearable with near enough every make up look. This is my go to lipstick as I do not need to faff with lip liner or anything.

Kissable Swatch

I also always have my e.l.f lip exfoliator which I have mentioned so many times in previous blog posts (eyeslipsface.co.uk, £3.75) and some lips balms. At the moment I am using the Body Shop's Cocoa Butter Lipcare Stick (Body Shop, £4.00) which is really moisturising and leaves my lips very soft and the Nivea Lip Butter in 'Raspberry Rose' (Boots, £2.25) which I've also mentioned a lot in previous posts. I still can't get over the smell of this though!

These are only the current things in my make-up bag that I'll take out with me, they change all the time! I hope you're all well!

Emily x

Neon/Bright Lips!

Recently I have seen a neon/bright lipsticks come into colour for the warmer seasons. I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon and buy myself one! I endedd up buying a very bright pink from Maybelline. I have one from the 'Color Sensational Vivid Lipstick Collection' in the shade 'Fuchsia Flash' (Boots, £7.19). This is an extremely bright pink which I love! The lipstick stays well and goes on easily. One bad thing is that this really stains the lips and can be quite hard to get off.

 

'Fuchsia Flash'

Firstly I have exfoliated my lips with the e.l.f. 'Lip Exfoliator' (eyeslipface.co.uk, £3.75), wiped this off then applied a small amount of Nivea 'Lip Butter' (Boots, £2.25) in the flavour 'Raspberry Rose', to keep my lips moisturised.

 

Lip exfoliator and butter.

To apply this, firstly I have lined my lips with a pink lip liner. The closest in my collection to the shade of the lipstick was the 'Barry M Lip Liner' in the shade 'Fuchsia 12' (Superdrug, £2.99). Although this is a cheap liner, it does a really good job! I have outlined the bottom and tops of my lips mainly to give me an outline for the lipstick.

 

Lined Lips!

I have then applied the lipstick to my bottom lip and rubbed it onto the top one then neatened it all up. I blotted my lips on a tissue then applied a very small amount of translucent powder onto and around the lips, added another coat of lipstick and blotted again. 

Pretty in pink?

The new trend seems to be wearing a really bright colour with a subtle look everywhere else. I like to wear this shade with light eye and face make-up. I think that this trend will be rather big throughout the summer time (if it comes!). 

Emily x

March Favourites!

March was a rather hectic month for me but I did find myself having a few different favourites. These were mainly the things that I found myself using most days. I did have to narrow this down a lot though!

March Favourites.

Firstly, I have found myself using quite a few Soap and Glory products recently, all of these came with my 'Best of All' set that I received at Christmas last year. As the seasons are 'changing', I have finally found myself bothering to keep my legs shaved! I do suffer with eczema and dry skin so I dug out the 'Sugar Crush' Body Scrub (Boots, £8.00 300ml). This is great for using all over the body and on the legs before shaving. It smells rather sickly when in it's tub but really refreshing in the shower. It isn't really rough but it certainly does a great job. Next is the 'Heel Genius' Foot Cream (Boots, £5.50 125ml). This stuff is amazing! I have quite dry feet and I wanted them to look good for sandals if summer finally comes. I apply this quite heavily and wear socks to help it all sink in. This is quite oily so I'd recommend applying this at night, but it smells great and my feet have become so much softer. The last Soap and Glory favourite is the 'Peaches and Clean' 4 in 1 Wash Off Cleansing Milk (Boots, £7.00 200ml). I have been using this for a while and it is just amazing. This stops me from breaking out but also keeps my skin soft and stops it from drying out. It also removes all of my make-up and this is for all skin types so I'd recommend it too everyone!

 

Attractive looking used scrub there...

Now for the other two products that have come from the bathroom. Firstly is Lush's 'Mask of Magnaminty' (Lush, £4.95 125g). This is a face mask that is full of peppermint oil to help fight breakouts. This is like their fresh face masks but lasts for a few months not a few weeks. I have been breaking out slightly over the past month and this has really soothed the itchiness and redness. I find that it also balances my skin and prevents it from becoming too oily for the next couple of days. Secondly is the Aussie '3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor' (Boots, £4.99 250ml). This a deep conditioning treatment. I have found my hair being really frizzy recently and this stuff has really calmed it down. My mum bought this for her hair and allowed me to try it and it has helped both of us. I used this a week ago and my hair still feels great!

 

Used Mask of Magnaminty also looking attractive..!

Next is the make-up products! Firstly is Benefit's 'High Beam' (Benefit Cosmetics, £18.50 13ml). I have this in a sample size which came with the 'Tropi-Coral' set that Benefit sent me as an apology (there is a past blog post on the set) and it is amazing! I hadn't really used highlighters before but now I use this nearly everyday. I love the colour and it is great for using under the eyebrows. Next is a white eyeliner. This is a rediscovery for me and I love it. Mine is the e.l.f 'Eye Widener' (eyeslipsface.co.uk, £1.50). I use this in the corners of my eyes and my waterlines. This makes my eyes look bigger and brighter so it is great for if I've not had a good nights sleep. The sharpening cap is also really handy and the product itself is a bargain.

 

Make up! Swatches left to right: Strawberry Tart Lip Butter, High Beam, Eye Widener

For lip products, I have two. I have been using the e.l.f 'Lip Exfoliator' (eyeslipsface.co.uk, £3.75) to help remove the dry skin from my lips. I also bought this a while ago but it has been so helpful recently with the season changes. This is great to use before applying lipsticks to give a smooth and even base. The last make up favourite is the Revlon 'ColorBurst Lip Butter' in the shade 'Strawberry Shortcake' (Boots, £7.99). This is really moisturising and gives off a really nice colour. It is quite sheer but looks fantastic when you're going for a subtle look.

 

Make up and Lip Exfoliator

The last two items are fashion related. Firstly is a rucksack/bag that I bought at the beginning of the month (H&M, £19.99). I love the colours and patterns on this and the size is just so handy. This fits my folders and books for college in and is also perfect for taking a change of clothes or items from a shopping trip in. As it is a rucksack it is easy to carry around and although the pattern and colours are quite vivid, it matches with loads of casual outfits. 

Rucksack and jeans.

Next is a pair of jeans from Topshop, The Acid Wash Leigh Jeans £38.00. Now these seemed rather pricey in the shop and I was almost regretting buying them when I was paying but now I am so so so glad that I have them. I don't really like jeans as I find them uncomfortable and that I can never find a pair in my size but these feel like leggings and they are also in petite. Now for those of you who don't know, I am naturally very skinny and short. I do often get called anorexic which upsets me as I do eat (chocolate products in particular...) and there are many people with eating disorders that do need the help that can be made available for them. Anyway I will put it out there and say that I finally found these in size 24" waist so I was excited to be able to wear a pair of jeans that didn't fall down my legs! I have been wearing these most days as they are so comfy and match everything. I am hoping to go back and buy another pair when I can afford them!

 

Natural!! Skinniness.

Let me know what your favourite products are!

Emily x

Nail Varnish Haul!

Over the past month or two I have picked up a few different nail varnishes and I thought I would write about them. 

Too many Barry M ones?!

Unfortunately I don't have any of these nail wheels so I'm going to swatch the coloured ones onto cardboard (let me know where I can get the wheels from!).

The Nails Inc. varnishes were pretty pricey at £11 each but were defiantly worth it! They seem really runny but they apply easily and the white 'Floral Street 072' is really pigmented and only needs one coat, making it perfect for French manicures. The glitter 'Graffiti in Old Street 492' is consistent and gives a fair amount of coverage that can be built. I would have a huge collection of these nail varnishes if the price was a bit more reasonable.

These are both one coat each, the white is so pigmented!

The Barry M Nail Paints cost £2.99 for the clear 'Basecoat, Topcoat and Nail Hardener All in One 251', glitter 'Rose Quartz 310', purple 'Berry 302' and mint green 'Blue Moon 303' and £3.99 for the Gelly type; the nude 'Lychee 311' and blue 'Blueberry 302'. These are quite reasonably priced. The All in One clear and Rose Quartz are defiantly worth the buy but the colours (both the standard and Gelly) are not hugely pigmented which means they need a couple of coats and they take forever to dry. The colours are really nice though so this is a bit of a let down. Also, I'm not sure if it's just me but 'Blueberry' has a really strange smell?!

The green looks as if it has no colour!

Next are the Maybelline Color Show nail lacquers. I picked out a few of these as I liked the colour range but I was disappointed in these as well. The brushes that came with them were flat so therefore quite easy to apply but the bottle was really tall where the neck was built up. this makes it difficult to get more colour on the brush and will be such a faff when they begin to run out. I bought the colours 'Wine Shimmer 265' which is a glittery red/fuchsia, 'Peach Pie 31' this is a very sheer pink good for applying after a French manicure and 'Cool Blue 651' which is a bright sky blue. These were £2.99 each. They dried quickly with one coat but anymore meant a long wait. The worst thing is that they chipped within a day or after anything more than washing hands (e.g. showering). I loved the colour range but these could do with a bit of work!

Unfortunatly 'Peach Pie' just made the cardboard look wet!

Lastly is a 17 nail polish (Boots brand). This is from the Lasting Fix range and is in the shade 'Mini Skirt' which is a pearly white which cost £2.99. In the store this looked like a solid white that I could use for the tips of my nails but it isn't! I do like this nail varnish; it lasts well, doesn't take long to dry and looks appealing. I will be looking at the 17 varnishes again when I fancy some more varnishes. There is no picture for this as it didn't show up on the cardboard. 

Please let me know of any other good nail varnishes that don't cost a fortune!

Emily x

Purple Day Nails!

Tomorrow (26th March) for those of you who don't know, is purple day! Purple day is set up to create global awareness of Epilepsy which I suffer from. 

Epilepsy is a neurological condition which effects the electric signals in the sufferers brain usually causing them to have seizures. Sufferer's seizures can vary and are not always the 'typical' unconsciousness, shaking, jerking, vomiting, becoming incontinent kind. Epilepsy can be controlled by medication or surgery for some people but there is no cure. It's not just the seizures that effect the sufferer, it can be the added stresses that come with them.

I currently have seizures which cause me to become unconscious. I am on medication which has reduced the amount I have but I still ocassionally suffer with the seizures. I was diagnosed at the age of 14. It has really effected my life as a 14, 15 and 16 year old even to the point of me being asked to leave school in Year 10. Blogging has helped me in many ways so I thought I'd share this with you all. For those who would like to find out more, a great place for information is the Epilepsy Action website: http://www.epilepsy.org.uk

Anyway, onto the nails!

I have been looking through my draws and wardrobe to find something purple and I have nothing! (I seriously need to go shopping...) So I decided to paint my nails after buying some new nail varnishes today; further haul post to come. Just to say, usually my nails are long but unfortunately I had to trim all of my nails right down as the cold weather has made them so brittle :(

Glitter, Purple Colour and Basecoat.

I have used the Barry M 'Basecoat, Topcoat and Nail Hardener' (Boots, £2.99) a pale pastel purple from Barry M in the shade 'Berry' (Boots, £2.99) and a purple glitter varnish from Rimmel that I was given years ago. I think that this has been discontinued but a good substitute would be Models Own 'Purple Haze' (Boots, £5.00). 

Clean nails!

Firstly I put the Barry M 'Basecoat, Topcoat and Nail Hardener' on to clean dry nails making sure that any old polish had been been removed. After allowing about 3 minutes for this to dry, I applied the purple. This does not have to be really neat as there will be the glitter coat over the top. Have nail varnish remover and cotton pads available if you go wrong. A little tip, cotton buds soaked in nail varnish remover are great to wipe around the sides of the nail if you go onto the skin or are prone to being really messy like me!

Pastel Purple!

Leaving about 5 minutes for the purple to harden, apply the glitter varnish. You can build this up as much as you would like, I only used one coat as I wanted the previous coat of purple paint to be visible. You should now be finished!

Finished!

This is just an idea and can be altered in anyway you would like! I would love to see/hear about other ideas for nails and purple day so leave a comment below! Remember to spread awareness about Epilepsy and Purple Day. You never know if and/or when it could effect you.

Emily x