August Favourites

This month I thought I'd combine all my favourites in one post. August hasn't really been a month full of new beauty discoveries.

NYX Blush in Mauve Review

Lately I have been varying the blush I use quite a lot and have discovered a new love for some old favourites. One in particular is the NYX powder blush in mauve which I think is actually now one of my favourite ever blushes. Swatches are listed at the end.

Elizabeth Arden Visible Difference Peel and Reveal Revitalizing Face Mask Review

I have to say firstly that I would never have tried this product if I hadn't received samples of the Visible Difference line from GlossyBox. This face mask is amazing! It is definitely this best I have ever tried and this best part is that I received it as a free gift!

GlossyBox August 2012

Initially when I opened this month's box it didn't really excite me as much as last month's did. However, now that I've had a chance to properly check out the products there are a couple that I really like. This month's theme is products from all around the world. I received products from Germany, Japan, Spain and the UK.

Outfit of the Night

OUTFIT: Top - Topshop / Velvet Shorts - River Island / Shoes - New Look / Cross Necklace - Topshop / Black Ring - Accessorize  
MAKE-UP: Face - Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in Ivory / Eyes - Stila Into the Light Eyeshadow palette / Cheeks - 
Mac Mineralise Blush in Dainty / Lips - Revlon Lip Butter in Candy Apple / Nails - OPI Just Spotted the Lizard!

Hey
I was invited to an after exam party as in my country we had just sat our exams and results day was coming! Thankfully I was lucky enough to be celebrating great results at the party (yay!) 
For the outfit I had just got my pay so went up to Glasgow to have a spending splurge with my friends.

This outfit was perfect for the really hot weather we had this week and my favourite part was definitely the dark red velvet shorts. I wanted them for ages!

Thanks for reading! We'd love to know what you think of our blog.


Lauren xx

 

Today's Nails: Topshop Blue Monday

Beat the mid-week blues with Topshop Blue Monday! This polish is one of my favourites. I wanted it for ages, mainly for the colour but also a little for the name! The colour is really versatile as I think it could easily be worn all year round, dressed up or dressed down.

The shade is a lovely blue purple and the polish has a great high shine finish. It only takes me two coats the get an opaque finish. When used with the Seche Vite topcoat this polish has great staying power.
I really like the Tophop nail polishes as a range. The polish itself always has a great consistency: not too runny, not too thick. The shade range they sell is already big but is ever growing. Also, as with their make-up range, the packaging is really cute!
The polish retails from £5-6 from topshop.com and in stores in the UK.
Sadly at the moment the nail polish can only be purchased in the UK but since some of the rest of the make-up range is now being sold in other countries, hopefully the polish will follow soon!

Thanks for reading! We'd love to know what you think of our blog.

Emma x 

Emma's July Beauty Favourites

This month I've tried to included different products from the previous month. However, I think it's unlikely that something from my previous favourites wont slip onto the list, they are favourites for a reason after all!

Emma's July Non-Beauty Favourites

This month, even more than last month, I have many non-beauty favourites. These include books, music, TV and movies. I think this may simply be due to the terrible weather we're having in the UK at the moment.

Music

Newton Faulkner 'Write It On Your Skin'

I have already reviewed this album but I have to include it in these favourites as I have continued to listen to it all this month and can conclusively say that every song on the album is amazing in its own way.

 

Lianne La Havas 

I discovered her this month through iTunes free song of the week. After listening to the track a couple of times I decided to purchase her whole debut album Is Your Love Big Enough? and I have not been disappointed by it.

1. Don't Wake Me Up
2. Is Your Love Big Enough?
3. Lost & Found
4. Au cinema
5. No Room For Doubt (feat. Willy Mason)
6. Forget
7. Age
8. Elusive
9. Everything Everything
10. Gone 
11. Tease Me
12. They Could Be Wrong

The whole album has a very alternative soulful vibe with many tracks also having an apparent folky edge to them also. Thought not overwhelmingly a standout album there is definitely a fresh quality to her voice which keeps you interested throughout.

Each track has a different vibe from the next so it is quite easy for me to pick out my favourites. The track which immediately stood out the most to me is Gone which is a beautifully simply arranged song that allows her amazing vocals to shine. I also really like the catchy title track Is Your Love Big Enough?

Overall this album displays a great potential for her to go far.

8/10

GlossyBox July 2012

I think on the whole GlossyBox send me products that match me perfectly more and more each month. This month is no exception. I actually have to say that this is my favourite box ever! Much better, for me anyway, than last months. I love everything in it and will definitely use it all. Also did I mention there is a bonus product?!

What's in My Everyday Bag?

This will be part of a series I thought would be fun to do on what I take in my bags for various different occasions.

Bag

Contents

Bag I got the bag from Accessorize at Monsoon about a year ago so it is no long in stock. However, there are quite a few like it in stock there at the moment for a similar price of £35. I like it because it's a medium size which is perfect for everyday and it also comes with a detachable cross body strap. I also sometimes use it for uni if I don't have many books to take.

Purse  I love, love, love the colour of this purse. It's a sort of bright turquoise colour and is the perfect size to fit all my cards, cash and change. I got this purse as a present for Christmas but I know it was also from Accessorize where the purses often retail for about £15.


Makeup bag The bag itself is from The Body Shop and was limited edition. The contents always include a variety of lip balms, my Collection 2000 concealer, a mirror, and my favourite lip gloss or stick. At the moment they are a Rimmel Lipstick in Coral Queen, Max Factor Colour Elixir Lipstick in English Rose ( used for this look) and NYX Lipgloss in La La.


Bits and bobs

• Glasses from Jasper Conran since I am very short sighted
• Soap and Glory Hand Food moisturiser and Hand Maid Cleansing Gel - these both smell amazing and do not irritate my skin one bit which is great since I slightly obsessed with keeping my hands moisturised
• Ipod Classic 160GB in white which I cannot live without
• Samsung mobile
• Bus timetable and subway ticket holder
• Extra chewing gum
• Small box a Velvet tissues I randomly received with an ASOS order
• REN Tonic Moisture Mist which is an essential in humid conditions
• Finally, I have a whole random bunch of pens and highlighters
  

Next in the series will probably be what I take with me to university.

Thanks for reading! We'd love to know what you think of our blog.

Emma x 

Top 3 Drugstore/High Street Foundations

I have tried loads and I mean loads of drugstore foundations over the years and finally I have found 3 that really work for me. The main reason it has been so difficult is because I have quite pale and dry skin so it has been hard to find a foundation that isn't too orange while not giving a patchy finish at the same time.

Left to right: Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in 100 'Ivory', Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in 51 'Light Vanilla, L'oreal Infallible Lasting Perfection Foundation 15 'Poreclain'

Summer Night Out Look

Since there was a party to go to and the weather was lovely my sister and I thought it would be fun to breakdown how we came up with the look.

Clothes

Leather jacket, Topshop / Floral play suit, River Island / Gold belt, River Island / Gold Sandals, Topshop

We sort of went for a 50's pinup style look with a modern edgy twist, which is evident in the pictures above. Jewellery seemed a little excessive with the busyness of the print so the belt is the only accessory we decided to use to complete the look.

OPI The Amazing Spiderman Mini Collection

After seeing the truly 'amazing' Spiderman movie (reviewed here) earlier this week I thought it would be fun to try out some of the polishes OPI created to go along with the movie. For the set of 4 it cost me £12.95 from BeautyBay.com but you can also get it for the same price from other sites. The polishes I got were Into the night, Number One Nemesis, Just Spotted the Lizard! and Your Web or Mine? If the names haven't sold you yet then hopefully the swatches will!

Max Factor {False Lash Effect Mascara v Masterpiece Max Mascara}

I recently decided that I wanted to try out some new mascaras since I've been quite stuck in a rut in that respect lately. I bought the Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara because I'd heard some great things about it and also at the same time got a free sample of the Masterpiece Max mascara to try so I thought I would compare the two.

False Lash Effect on left, Masterpiece Max on right

False Lash Effect Mascara

This mascara has turned out to be even better than I expected. Both mascaras claim to increase the volume of your lashes and obviously this one aims to give you the effect of wearing false lashes without actually having to. I would certainly agree that this mascara more than the other gives my lashes a very noticeable volume boost. My lashes are naturally long anyway so it doesn't bother me that this mascara does not lengthen or define my lashes as much as others have. Overall I love this mascara and I will definitely repurchase it when I finish this bottle.

Mascara wand

Two coats

Masterpiece Max Mascara

Out of the two I wold say this mascara is more of a multitasker. It did increase the volume of my lashes without making them clumpy but it actually also lengthened and defined and separated my lashes a little at the same time. The wand also made it incredibly easy to reach the smallest of lashes. I am really glad I got this mascara as a sample, initially I thought it might end up being too similar to the False Lash Effect but I've found that I really like it does stand apart from it.

Wand

Two Coats

Verdict

I think it would be impossible for me to pick one mascara over the other but I would say that I might be inclined to use False Lash Effect more at night and Masterpiece Max more during the day.

 Thanks for reading! We'd love to know what you think of our blog.

Emma x

Write It On Your Skin by Newton Faulkner Album Review

This album was most certainly released in the perfect time of year, well if it was sunny that is. Instantly this album gives off a great feelgood summery vibe that uplifted me from the start and kept me hooked the whole may through. Quite a tall order to hold my attention for that long but it almost felt rude not to give this album the full attention it deserves.

 

1. Pulling Teeth
2. Soon
3. Brick by Brick
4. Clouds
5. Pick Up Your Broken Heart
6. Longshot
7. Write it on Your Skin
8. In the Morning
9. Against the Grain
10. Sugar in the Snow

 I have already reviewed both his previous albums positively and this one did not disappoint either. It still has the excellent quality, rousing melodies and acoustic simplicity that the previous two albums did contain.

As with his previous albums it is very difficult for me to pick out my favourite tracks. If I had to, for the sheer upbeat vibe, I would select the instantly likable Pulling Teeth and Brick by Brick for brightening up your day. For a more mellow relaxed vibe I would select musically epic Pick Up Your Broken Heart and In the Morning. My other personal favourites that I just loved instantly were Soon,the beautifully acoustic Longshot and the title track Write it on Your Skin.

All in all no matter what you're looking for you will find it in this album. In particular if you need a summer pick me up then Write it On Your Skin will be prefect for you.


9/10
  
Thanks for reading! We'd love to know what you think of our blog.

Emma x