My New Skincare Routine - On a Budget!

The past couple of months I have been very neglectful of my skin. After I finished my Liz Earle skincare set I was unable to afford to purchase it again, although it was amazing, it is a luxury a makeup student can't afford - too much makeup to buy. I would use wipes to remove my makeup - a sin to skin, so many harsh ingredients - Clean and Clear cleanser in the shower and then a cheap oil free moisturizer; I knew these steps were not right for my skin and I could see the effects taking their toll. I have an oily/combination forehead and a fringe on top of my forehead, creating the perfect setting for little annoying spots and blackheads. I very very rarely have spots anywhere else on my face. 

One evening I sat down and began researching. Researching is key to finding your personalized skin care combination, what may work on your best friend may cause your skin to break out and rebel with unsightly red spots. Firstly, you must must must know your skin type, your products must work with your skin type, not against. As I mentioned before I have oily/combination skin, if I was then to buy a moisturizer for dry skin, this would contain oil meaning my oily skin areas would most likely be sent into overdrive and produce more oil. I started researching products on beauty and skincare blogs, then researched the products, studied ingredients and learnt what exactly it 'claims' to do. Research is all well and good for knowing what you are applying to your skin but the real test does come through trail and error, I knew Clean and Clear was out the window, I have purchased products from them so many times in the past and never once noticed any difference in my skin! 

I wanted to find a good cleanser, one that would completely clean my skin of all the makeup. I have been reading so many good things about Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water, I was intrigued to see how well this removes makeup and dirt on the skin. At a bargain price of £4.99, it was a must have, and I can honestly say I have never seen makeup vanish so quickly in my life, it is literally like a magnet, with a few cotton pads my skin is completely clean within a matter of minutes - I don't believe wipes removed ALL of your makeup and dirt on your skin - I knew I was going to love this product straight away; I use it morning and night and over the past 2 weeks I have watched my spots and black heads vanish! My skin is looking so great! I would 100% recommend this product to anyone! 

The next product I spontaneously picked up, doing no research but the description had me dying to try it! It is Botanics Shine Away Invigorating Face Scrub and it is currently on sale in Boots at the introductory price of £2.69. This scrub buffs away excess oils to instantly mattify, refresh and rebalance your skin. It unclogs pores and leaves skin feeling smooth and even. I was sold after I read 'Our beauty scientists have worked with the world experts in plant science at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (England), to bring you beautiful, plant-powered skin care that’s proven to work.' At that price I felt I had to try it out, I use it as recommended 2-3 times a weeks and my skin feels so smooth, I believe this has really helped clear my forehead of blemishes and I have noticed less oil on my skin, it is definitely doing it's job! This is was a great buy, it really does what it claims to do!

The last product I picked up was Neutrogena Visibly Clear Oil-Free Moisturiser. I struggle with moisturisers, I find some can feel greasy or too wet and take forever to soak into your skin, but this is very mattifying and takes less than a minutes to absorb into my skin, it also creates a great base for my foundation. It was at the great price of £4.99.

I still have my Liz Earle toner as that has literally lasted forever! I use this after cleansing with a cotton pad. You can read my detailed Liz Earle review here.

I feel all three of these new product have seriously helped my skin and within only 2 weeks I am already noticing great improvements, my skin has never looked so good since I finished my Liz Earle set! I believe by researching and leaning about your products, you can create a routine that will work with your skin and keep any nasty surprises at bay! Good looking skin just makes you feel better and ready to face the day, it is worth looking after your skin! 

Any questions feel free to ask... 

Christian Louboutin Beauty - *Oh My Gosh - annnnd breathe...*

This morning all over the internet I saw these beautifully packaged nail varnishes and could instantly picture them on my dressing table just adding attitude to my beauty collection! Christian Louboutin is set to launch his own beauty range a collection of luxurious signature nail polishes housed in strikingly tall, spiky bottles. Oh my..

They will be priced at $50 each, the spiked-heeled, red nail enamel, Rouge Louboutin, is scheduled to go on sale today in a U.S. concession shop on the eighth floor at the Saks Fifth Avenue flagship in New York. - Jealous. But no fear UK fans, these visually perfect bottles will be on sale on August 14th at Selfridges, Harrods and Harvey Nichols. S Club girls, London date??? ;)

I am assuming the price of these polishes will be heart dropping - in the pound conversion - as I have read they will be priced higher than Tom Ford and Chanel,  but if you were to compare it to a pair of £2,000 shoes, it kind of seems like a bargain *Silver linings and all*. I just want them perfectly lined up on my dressing table, stare at them, shed a tear, then spend the evening painting my nails!  Ahhhhhh..

Will you guys be breaking the bank for this collection?

Pulp Fiction Makeup Collection Coming!

Urban Decay and Pulp Fiction joining forces! Wow, did not see that coming when I first heard! It sounds so good! I really love these collections that companies do, especially the MAC Limited Editions collections! I love the fact they are inspired by something or someone. Even if you already have very similar makeup, you still have to have it! 

Looking at the released images so far (below) I really love the five series colour selection (Righteous, Tyranny, Vengeance, Furious and Anger), it is a palette I could see myself using every day; very natural. I adore the packaging, Pulp Fiction is a classic film, and that is shown in the packaging. I also love how they have added the films quotable lines such as 'Be cool honey bunny' on the back! I WANT! The collection will also include a lipstick, lip liner, nail colour and glitter eyeliner. Snazzy! THE LIPSTICK LOOKS AMAZING! 

 It will be available in the UK from the 1st September ranging from £10 to £17.50 to celebrate the films twentieth anniversary. I believe it is already available in the US though! BE THERE! 

Images from Temptalia   - Swatches can be found here

My Essential Makeup Brushes

As a training makeup artist I have quite a few brushes; hoping to build my collection up as I leave uni and head into the industry. When it comes to applying my own everyday makeup I always pick out the same brushes plus my Real Techniques Beauty Blender. Most of my collection is Sigma, but I am hoping to purchase some new brush sets this summer to widen the range in my kit. I have always loved my Sigma brushes, each brushes shape fits it's purpose perfectly, the few issues I have had with these brushes are, the tips of the brush hairs were white, after a few uses the white ends begin to stain and become near on impossible to get white again, I like everything in my kit to be very clean so it does annoy me that these brushes can still look dirty even when completely sanitized! Another issues is the writing down the side of the brush - which tells you the name and number of the brush - is beginning to fade, I have only had these a year and would have liked the writing to last quite a lot longer, it makes the brushes look older than what they actually are, especially for the price I payed - I purchased two sets and payed shipping from USA and the total was £170. - But, to look on the bright side they do apply makeup very well and I have never had a problem with loose hairs, which I know can be a common problem with some makeup brushes. 

The brushes above are:

Duo Fibre F50 - I find this brush great for stippling my foundation, it creates a great flawless finish. 

Large Angled Contour F40 - This is obviously great for contouring, especially the hollows of your cheeks, the angle fits the face perfectly, and it blends the contour in really well. I also find this brush works nicely for powdering under the eyes, it fits nicely ensuring you powder under the lashes as well. 

Tapered Blending E40 - This is my favourite brush of them all. I use it in the crease under the brow bone. With slow movements it blends really well and can create a super defined crease or a very natural contour, I am not sure what I would do without this brush in my kit, I would highly recommended this brush! I have also used it to contour the sides of the nose as it blends really well and is small enough to fit the edges of the nose.

Small Angle E65 - This brush is primarily used for eyeliner and eyebrows. The angle is fantastic for creating a winged eyeliner look, I literally hate doing eyeliner, especially on other people but this brush makes it so much easier! The angle also works great on eyebrows for creating that perfect arch! 

Pencil E30 - I actually find this brush best for highlighting the brow bone and the inner corners of your eye, it's shape allows easy application to those smaller areas. It also works well applying shadow under your bottom lashes, the point of the brush allows you to get underneath your lashes.

Eye Shading E55 - Finally, this brush is great for applying shadow to you lids, the flat rounded shape of the brush makes it easy to apply shadow over the whole lid finishing with E40 to blend. 

Do you guys have any essential makeup brushes in your kits? 

MAC - The Simpsons FIRST LOOK

Here is the first look of MAC's latest makeup collaboration; the ten piece Marge Simpson inspired collection will be available online on 28th August and in store Sept 4th. Although I was excited to see what they were going to do with this collection, I don't think I will be rushing out to purchase any of these limited edition items *gasps at my negative feelings towards new makeup* as it just not seem like my thing; I have never been a Simpsons fans, - I was more The Powerpuff Girls kinda gal - non of the colours involved that I have heard/read about so far appeal to me. Maybe once it hit stores I will go check it out in case I am proven wrong and I fall in love with yet another makeup collection.

Is that a yellow lipgloss??

What are your thought on the latest collection?

The '03 Bonnie and Clyde, Hov' and B

I feel we all need to take a moment and see how AMAZING Beyonce and Jay-Z's new tour 'On The Run' looks! I am one of Beyonce's and Jay-Z's BIGGEST fans! I may have a slight obsession, their music just give me chills! It is genius! I am so so so so so so so so sad that they have not released dates for London, what is that about? Such a missed opportunity, but in true fandom style I have my emails on alert, so if the day comes when that email from BeyHive - Yes I am joined to Beyonce VIP, obviously ;) - comes through, I am ready! I will also spend the day crying! 

The first time I saw Beyonce was in 2009 for her I Am tour, I have since seen her 5 times. Her concerts are a must see; she gives every ounce of her being to ensure to entertains us for the 2 most fabulous hours! I basically cry my way through, she is my idol! The first time I saw her I remember thinking if Beyonce and Jay-Z ever go on tour together I have to go, it has been my dream for them to tour together for four years and they are not even coming to London! WHAT?! 

When I went to see Beyonce in March in London, Jay-Z made an appearance when she sang Drunk in Love and I started crying, shaking, screaming and singing so loud it is cringe worthy to listen back to the video I was filming. But it is also so funny to watch and I love to re-live that moment..

 and here it is.. 

*If you get motion sickness, please be aware, when Jay-Z walks on you may get sick* 

My brilliant camera skills showcased below! 

So as you can imagine, being such a fan of the power couple and getting a taste of watching them live together in the flesh, then being denied of a whole concert! I will continue to believe that after their last scheduled tour date in Paris is over they will then be all 'Hey y'all, SURPRISE, here we come London' I will freak, faint, have an anxiety attack, sell my kidney and finally purchase those golden tickets! It will happen!! #trust

'Who wants that perfect love story anyway.. cliché, cliché, cliché'

I will leave you all with the beautiful pictures of their amazingness... 

Pretty Little Things...

I have been mentally planning this post for the past few weeks and to my shock, June has gone, gone in the sands of time! *Stands in protest* What? Where?... It is JULY! What? Can I start my Christmas countdown? 

While I am still trying to figure out where my passing days have gone, I wanted to share what has been my favourite products this month, last month? *soooo confused* 

Starting with the most appropriate...

Hayfever Relief - Nasal Spray 

I was never an unlucky child that got struck by the pain of hay fever, I always thought people were exaggerating, until last year! Last year I was hit.. hit hard! I was confined to my house, and as soon I would venture outside, my nose would block, my ears would freak and my mouth and throat would go into a frenzy! This year has been the exact same, may I say worse... My body refused to let me breath.. literally! I was sent to the doctors and sent away on double doses of everything; it all stays safe in my handbags and I never leave my house without my trusty drug supplies... This nasal spray has been safely by my side and my sinuses are now able to breath... *praise the lord*

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum

I spoke about this foundation in my previous post which you can read here. I just love this foundation for summer as it is very light on my skin, I find some foundations can feel too heavy for summer, I want my skin to still breath during this delightful weather we have been having *well done England*. It leaves my skin looking clear with a natural glow... I wear shade 53 Light Beige.

Oil Free Moisturising Day Cream

I like to try out different moisturisers as I am still yet to find that holy grail that works perfect for my skin. My favourite moisturiser has been the Liz Earle Combination Skin Moisturiser but as a student I cannot afford that on a frequent basis. I picked up the little bargain a few weeks ago and it has been great for the price I payed, my skin has been kept hydrated and my oily skin has been kept at bay. I am currently doing a lot of research into different skin care products and learning about different ingredients etc as I feel I need to get a set routine down.. Since I ran out of my Liz Earle products, my routine has been all over the place... 

Tan Towel

I get sent Tan Towels by my Auntie *shout out to Shelley, thanks for saving my lily white legs ;)* who lives in America. I believe these are only sold in the US as I am yet to find them here in the UK. These have been my life savoir in keeping my skin looking sun kissed. They are just like a face wipe and you wipe them over your skin; what I love most about them is you can slowly build up a tan colour that is right for you, it doesn't go instantly orange, it looks like a natural tan. As long as you follow all correct procedures - Exfoliating, moisturising etc -  it comes out beautifully! I once did not follow the correct procedures and I was as patchy as a giraffe. *Not cool Sam, not cool*...

Kryolan Lip N' Cheek

I have this product in 'Rose'. It is gorgeously natural pink tone, which leaves you lips looking full of colour with a slightly shine, that is long lasting and great for a day out in the sunshine. I have to admit, I have never tried it for my cheeks before, and thinking about this I am not sure why, I think I just love the colour so much for my lips. This collection from Kryolan is great, the colours they offer are gorgeous, and it is great to have two products in one. I would love to have the whole set for my professional kit as they are just a great staple piece to have and work in all genres of the makeup industry.

The Time Travelers Wife 

I actually began reading this last summer, *no it has not taken me that long* but I got so busy with doing extra hours at work, that I forgot all about it, and with so much going on sometimes it can be hard to fully concentrate on a book. When I am at uni there is no time for reading as my course is very full on, we are in lessons 4 days a week and I also have a part time job working 2 days around that, leaving me with evenings and 1 day to be doing coursework/log book.. It is a very stressful time.. so I decided to wait until now, when I can really enjoy it and appreciate the great things I have heard about this book! I really love reading, I love getting involved in the characters. I am a sucker for a romance story.. 

The last line in the Twilight Saga books made my heart melt just a little ;)