A little late..... What I got for Christmas 2015!

So we're already 5 days into the new year, but I've been taken a well deserved break and just reading and seeing to myself that I've totally forgotten to post anything.  I took photos of what I got for Christmas to put on here and am finally getting round to it!

The first thing - a gold iPhone 6!!!!!! SO HAPPY!!! I had my old phone for two and a half years and it had a damaged screen that I could only see half off and severely bad battery life.  So so so so happy with this!

- Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 Polaroid camera in pink!  Wanted one of these for absolutely ages so I was over the moon :) So far I've got polaroids from Christmas and New Year's Day - I just love the effect they have!

- Yankee candle in Christmas Cookie, it's possibly my favourite Yankee candle ever!

-Pixi Glow Tonic is what I asked for because my skin had been so firey in the lead up to Christmas with two big clusters of under the skin spot bumps next to both of my ears as well as just bumps all over my skin and spots!  I've been using this for just under two weeks now and the imperfections are well on their way to being vanished!  Have a feeling this will be getting repurchased over and over again.

- I haven't used the lotion or body wash yet but they both smell amazing.

-Books!  The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, The Maze Runner by James Dashner and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.  I'm actually nearly finished Gone Girl, it's had me hooked since I started! Really excited to read the others

- Amore Mio perfume which I really didn't like the smell of :( But I gave it to my little sister who actually really likes it which was fine!

- CKIN2U perfume which I LOVE the smell of!! I'm not wearing it yet because I'm trying to use some of my older perfumes to get my collection down but this is really really nice.

- Lush bath bomb!  Really need to use this actually, it smells sooooo nice.

- Teeth whitening strips which I'm really thankful for!!!  My teeth aren't yellow but they could be a lot whiter.  I drink a lot of tea which is staining so I cannot wait to use these.

- Babyliss Soft Waves hair curler is my all time favourite hair tool now, it creates the most perfect loose waves which is how I like my hair, and it's actually really quick!  No more long GHD curling for me.

- NARS Virtual Domination palette.  AAAHHHH!!!! INCREDIBLY happy when I opened this!  I have NARS sheer glow foundation which I love but no other products from it.  My favourite so far is the bluey pink blusher, it just looks stunning!

- The cutest present ever from my little sister Rosie :)

I love seeing what people got for Christmas, so I hope you've enjoyed this one!

Zoe x

A late NEW YEAR post

Thought I'd share my new years resolutions this year :)

1) Stick to a skincare routine everyday

2) Read a lot more books

3) Document life more on video

4) Reduce my body fat mass

and 5) Be happy!

I'm pretty good at looking after my skin, but this year I really want to look after it with all types of masks, exfoliants and treats like that more often.

I got four books this Christmas.  I've nearly finished the first one which was 'Girl Online' by Gillian Flynn and it is INCREDIBLE!  This year I'm going to always have a book on the go.

Life is keeping on moving really fast and I want to remember it, so I've made a promise to start videoing more instead of photos.

Last year, I was so good at eating clean and going to the gym (for the most part) and lost 16.5 pounds!  I got weighed yesterday with a body fat mass of 31%, but apparently it was a bit high because I had tea beforehand which dehydrates you.  Anyhow, I'd like to see that decrease :)

Finally, be happy.  Don't let anyone get me down this year, see the positive side to everything and just be carefree!  I think that's the most important resolution.

MAC Cranberry and Sketch | Primark Cosy Bunny PJ's

Exam period is here again and as usual I cannot bring myself to start revising... So in my procrastinating state I started playing around with make-up.  On pinterest the other day I saw the most gorgeous MAC eyeshadow combo so I thought I'd give it a go

 Products used -

Maybelline Colour Tattoo 'Metallic Pomegranate'

MAC eyeshadows in Cranberry, Sketch & Jest slightly in inner corners

Maybelline black gel eyeliner

Too Faced 'Better than Sex' mascara

Soap & Glory Brow Archery 'Love is Blonde'

Topshop black kohl eyeliner

NARS Sheer Glow 'Deuxville'

Maybelline Erasing Eye concealer

Topshop bronzer 'Mohawk'

MAC blusher 'Well Dressed'

MAC lip liner 'Subculture'

MAC lipstick 'Modesty'

What do you think?  If you're looking for stepping into a coloured more dramatic smokey eye this Winter I would definitely recommend those two MAC eyeshadows :)

Yesterday in Primark I came across the cutest bunny PJ thing, it's sort of a nighty.  It has bunny ears and is the most adorable and cosy thing I've ever bought!

Bit of a contrasting FOTD/OOTD haha.

Zoë x

Autumn make up look | Bronze eyes and berry lip!

Hello!

It's another video, where I filmed my make up routine for this season.  I love this look so much that I wanted to film it to remember it for next year/any future use :)

Hope you like it as much as I do!

Zoe x

Topshop A/W 14 night out outfit

On the weekend it was my friend's birthday and I really loved my outfit. These past months I've been absolutely obsessed with Topshop and think that their clothes in right now are absolutely stunning! Here's what I wore - 

Flower Garland Bralet - this crop top is patterned with loads of autumnal colours and is really flattering to those with bugger busts. 

PU Stitch A-line Skirt - The leather skirt is quilted and the only A-line skirt I own. I can definitely see this being a staple in my winter wardrobe!

The shoes I actually got from their spring collection, but they're always bringing out the most stunning heels so keep your eyes peeled.

Hope you like the outfit!

Zoe x

Lunch hour Buy | Topshop blusher in 'Dream Phone' | The perfect winter blush!

Hello!

I've been on the hunt for a berry toned blusher for the upcoming winter months for a while now, and finally I've found the absolute PERFECT one!  It's so perfect I even made the two friends I was shopping with buy it as well :-).  Seriously, next time you're in Topshop hunt down the blusher in 'Dream Phone' and your cheeks are all set for winter...

Dream Phone is a stunning berry/deep rose/slightly mauvey coloured blush with flecks of gold shimmer through it.    The pigmentation is fantastic and the shimmer creates the most beautiful sheen on the cheeks.  I feel like this would look great with winter berry lips but also with a girly pink lip gloss which is how I wore it today!  The mirror is really handy if you're looking for a blush to take on the go.  

I can't get over that a blush of this high quality is only £7 (remember if you're a student you'll get 10% off).  I'll definitely be checking out Topshop's other blusher's next time I'm in.

I'm doing a tutorial on the look I'm wearing today, which is a really pretty, quick and easy look using only 7 products.  It's perfect for university/school/work when you've not got a lot of time in the morning. 

Zoe x

Night out make-up featuring Urban Decay's Naked 3 Palette! | Dark eyes and a nude lip

Hello!

This is a bit of a different post today because it's actually our first ever.... video!!!

I was going out for my cousin's 28th birthday night out last night and decided to film how I was doing my make up.  Obviously it's no where near perfect because I'm definitely not professional and I went out of shot a lot!  But gave it a good first effort :)

I really hope you like the video!

Zoe x

Disappointing Products | October 2014

Helloooo!

So we've decided to create a 'Disappointing Products' post as a feature. It will be every few months and will just consist of any products we've not enjoyed or that we do not think are worth the hype! Hope you enjoy!


Devon 

So I have always wanted to try the Eyeko mascaras. I was forever eyeing them up on QVC and was very jealous of my friend Rebecca when she bought them. I was very lucky when she told me she was disappointed and that I could have the 2nd lot she would receive from her next order (she still wanted to get the Eyeko Brow Gel.)
I should have listened to her!!!!



Amid my excitement, on first try I LOVED them. I thought they seemed fantastic, boy was I wrong though. I'll begin with the BLACK Magic Mascara - Drama and Curl. The brush is your standard curved volumising brush from a standard mascara. On application I began to notice the formula is extremely wet and takes an age to dry. It does not curl your lashes and when it did on the odd occasion, it would last maybe 40 minutes. NOT worth the rrp of £15.

And for the LENGTHENING SKINNY Brush Mascara - Long & Tall one, it is the exact same. The product is wet and gloopy. The brush on this is useless. It does not add length and the bristles are barely big enough to coat your lashes.

Overall I would rate these two products a mere 2 out of 5 stars - not for me!!


Another product that was a major disappointment was the Benefit They're Real Push Up Liner. This is definitely not worth all the hype. To begin with it takes ages to wind up for any product to come out - made me question how much was even going to be in the container!!! Secondly, when applying it, it comes up in little rolls - not a good thing when it is supposed to be a quick and easy substitute to gel liner and a brush! However I decided to persevere for a week or two to see if I could get the hang of it. Unfortunately not. I would highly recommend that if you want to try this product still that you go to the highstreet and find a dupe as there are a few out there before you waste money on it!

Id rate this a 1 out of 5 stars.

Next I'm going to talk about Sleeks new gel nail range 'Sleek loves gel nails.' I picked up the shade     as a match for a corally colour I had on my nails in summer when I got treated to a Shellac nail treatment. I did like this product for being an exact match, however 'gel' is not the right word to use in their description. I was just the same as any other old nail polish. It did not last and chipped
within a day. This is very disappointing due to the fact I work on a jewellery counter and need to have immaculate nails when serving customers. I highly recommend sticking to Barry M's gel nail range as these last at least 5 days on my nails!

Finally, I would rate this 3 out of 5 stars because I did love the colour and if you are someone who has the time and effort to do their nails every day then you may like this range.



Zoe

La Roche Posay Effaclar Anti Blemish System

The skin system I’ve been using since around the middle of September.  It claims to clear and soothe problem skin with visible results within 6 weeks.  It most definitely DOES NOT do this! After the first week I had a breakout and the cleanser made my chin and upper lip area the driest they’ve ever been.  To compensate I had to add my own moisturiser (not the La Roche one that clearly wasn’t doing the job) and I had to keep using it alongside the La Roche moisturiser to stop my skin going dry.  I’ve never had any problems with dryness before.  The toner doesn’t do anything - it claims to minimise pores.  It’s not made one little difference to mine at all.

I would rate this 0 out of 5 stars!!! 

Clinique High Impact mascara - best selling of Clinique.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good mascara but I like lashes with loads of drama no matter what occasion.  This mascara gave length and a small amount of volume but nowhere near what I was expecting

This would get a 3 out of 5 stars rating. 

Mascara Review | Urban Decay Perversion

Hi guys!

So recently i received Urban Decay’s Perversion mascara as a gift. I love it!! Mascaras have always been one of those products where I find good one and stick to it for a good year before I risk disappointment. However, this one is by far the best Ive ever tried. 

It is fabulous for lengthening due to the Perversion Primer sample you receive free when you buy it from an Urban Decay stockist. This primer I was wary of at first, but with one application of this I could already see my lashes transform (even though they were now white!!) 

Next the actual mascara is applied and it transforms your lashes even more. They are now volumised and long! 

I would say this is the perfect mascara and is very similar to the Too Faced Batter Than Sex one. 

The formula isn’t too wet at all so no need to worry about accidentally blinking too hard and getting it all over the place! 

Hope you try it out and love it as much as me !!

No product

Perversion Mascara (one coat)

Perversion Primer

Devon 

xoxo

P.S. Sorry for not having posted in ages was just stressed with all the work from University and work over summer but back to blogging with Zoë now!! 

The perfect autumn lunch hour buy! | Maybelline Colour Drama Intense Lip Pencil

Today in Boots I noticed the new Maybelline Lip Pencils and had to purchase one to try them out!  I've heard they're similar to the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencils and although I've never actually tried them, what's to lose when Maybelline's version is only a fiver?!

I got the berry shade, '210 Keep It Classy' as it screams autumn/winter to me.

The pencil applies soft and smooth, fills the lips out and the pigmentation is amazing!  The matte finish is perfect for this time of year - I'll definitely need to pick up a few more.









Happy mid-week!

Zoe x

Vamp Look | Halloween 2014

The other day I was watching velvetgh0st on YouTube and fell in love with her dramatic grunge makeup look.  I thought I'd try it out myself with different colours that I actually own and here's the outcome!  I'll be wearing this on Friday for Hallowe'en.  My mum absolutely loved it and said she would even wear it on a normal night out!

I started by using NARS Sheer Glow in 'Deuxville',  tried my best to chisel some cheek bones using Benefit's 'Hoola' Bronzer and filled in my brows with a MAC's 'Omega' and some 'Charcoal Brown'.

For eyes I used the post-it note trick (where you like up a post it note from the corner of your eye to the end of your brow) to achieve the perfect winged out eyeshadow.  I started by packing on MAC's 'Plum Dressing' on the inner part of my eye, then MAC's Nocturnelle in the outer V.  Then I started to build up Urban Decay's 'Creep' eyeshadow and blend it out making it super smokey and to the intensity I liked.  I took all three of those colours on my lower lash line too.  To wing out my eyes I used Maybelline's Gel Liner in Black, using Topshop's black kohl liner on my waterline and got voluminous lashes with Too Faced's 'Better Then Sex' mascara.  I lined my lips using MAC 'Cherry' lipliner then used MAC's 'Rebel' lipstick - these are two very different shades of red but I really liked the effect it gave - a crisp lighter line around the lips.

Really regret not taking a better picture of the eyeshadow now!

If you're stuck for makeup this Hallowe'en - definitely try out this look!

Zoe x

Halloween 2014 | 60s Hippie Girl! Outfit, Hair & Make up

Last night was my University course's Gaudie Night and the theme was Retro & Rave!  Gaudie Night is basically when two freshers get given two parents in the years above, go on a pub crawl and finish up in the Union.  It was suuuuch an amazing night!  I thought I'd do a blog post about it seeing as it's now October so the countdown to Halloween has begun (one of my favourite nights of the year) and this would be a great outfit for it!

I absolutely love fancy dress so as soon as I knew I had to dress up Retro, hippie chick was definitely on the cards.  I got this amazing bright hippie dress from eBay, I loved wearing it so much!  It was actually really flattering because it sinches you in at the waist.  Because the night was going to be a lot of walking I didn't want to go ahead and buy high heeled white knee high boots, so just opted for converse and so glad I did!  The dress came with a headband too but I decided to do something different and more cool with my hair.

I curled my hair using the Babyliss conical hair wand, taking really small pieces at a time to make the curls crazy and big which is just what I wanted.  Then I took the front of my hair and pinned it back in a quiff to add volume, I thought it added to the retro vibe of the look.  To finish off I plaited random bits of hair - this just adds such a nice twist to the look.

For make up I used:
NARS Sheer Glow foundation in the shade Light 4
Topshop Bronzer in Mohawk (this is amazing btw - definitely check it out!!)
Benefit Rockateur Blush
Mac Soft & Gentle Highlight
Maybelline Colour Tattoos in Pink Gold (inner eye) and On and On Bronze (outer eye)
L'oreal Black Superliner
Barry M Blue Kohl Eyeliner on waterline
Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara
Girls Aloud false eyelashes in Kimberly
Soap & Glory Brow Archery in Love is Blonde
Mac lipstick in Girl About Town

The lipstick colour just brings together the entire look I think!  It brought out the pink in the dress really well too.

Hope this gives some inspiration!

Zoe x

New Benefit Cheeky Sweet Spot Christmas Set 2014 | Box o' Blushes Face Palette

Hello!

We've been neglecting this blog over the summer due to work & being on holiday for a good part of it - sorry.  Over the next wee while we're looking to do a lot of autumn/winter posts so tune in!

Today when I was walking through Debenhams, the Benefit counter caught my eye as they had lots of Christmas packages on their counters, cute little red and green tins shaped like different sized Christmas houses!  I think they might actually be shops...can't remember.

The first one I picked up was a sweet shop and when I read box o' blushes I thought it was too good to be true.  I missed out on the stunning NARS blush palette from last year so couldn't quite believe Benefit had released one!!  I'm much more familiar with Benefit's blush colours so this one would be much better for me anyway.  I was actually shocked when I read the back of the box to find out it includes Dandelion, Bella Bamba, Sugarbomb, Coralista, Rockateur, Hoola AND a sample of the Watts' Up! highlighter complete with a mini brush!!!

The store I was in had a 10% discount on all products today.. so I was able to nab this set at £26.55!!!!  For a set with a value of £65.94 this was too good to be true, I am sooooo happy!

The sizing of the products are really generous too, a lot bigger than I had imagined.

This is a product I would definitely say to add to your Christmas list, or if you have a birthday coming up or even just to treat yourself!

One thing I would say is that the packaging is maybe a bit too chunky if you're looking for a palette like this for travelling.  However I'm not planning on using this for travelling.  I think it will make a great festive addition to my dressing table in the next few months when I finally come round to the Christmas mood.  September is just too early!! Haha.

This is usually priced at £29.50, a saving of 55%.

I also passed the Benefit advent calendar, which was £54 today because of the 10% saving... But I couldn't bear parting with that much for an advent calendar!!  I might ask for it as part of my Christmas, or just stick to a chocolate one.  Is anyone thinking of purchasing it?

Happy shopping!

Zoe x

Festival Makeup & Getting Ready Guide 2014

Hello!

Festival season is yet again upon us, one of my most FAVOURITE times of year!  I've been to T In The Park the past two years (where I camped the entire weekend), and Leeds Festival in 2012.  I've experienced torrential rain that led to walking through fields of liquid mud for a whole weekend, (seriously, google 't in the park rain 2012'), and scorching heat that dried the mud into dust leaving a layer of dirt on everyone!

Trying to look good for festivals does require some effort.  Waking up in a tent in a field probably not feeling 100% isn't very nice to say the least but I find that cleaning yourself up and putting some make up on really helps to wake you up and get you even more excited for the day ahead.  I feel like my knowledge or make up products has grown considerably over the past year so using this plus my experience at festivals, here are some tips in the hopes to make it easier for you!

1) Water

Sounds obvious but some people very easily forget to hydrate themselves over the weekend with anything except alcohol.  Boring, but drinking water will make you feel refreshed, your skin will thank you for it and you'll definitely feel better to take on the weekend without the symptoms of dehydration

2) BABY WIPES!

If like me you're too stingey to pay for a Refresh band, baby wipes are an absolute godsend!  They're cheap and will get the dirt off of your body and with a few swipes.  It's far more practical than lugging along a cleanser/toner.  I would however recommend taking a moisturiser!

Boring but essential

3) Sun cream

Last year at T In The Park the sun was beating down from the moment I woke up until it set behind the main stage every night.  I'm always so prepared for every kind of weather at a festival so of course had some Factor 30 with me, the same couldn't be said for a couple of my friends though!  Despite borrowing mine one left with burned & blistered lips, and another had a bright red burn all through her neckline the whole weekend.  Sun cream may be the most important thing you take so make sure its high on your 'to take' list!!

4)  Face coverage

I wouldn't recommend wearing foundation, especially if you're camping the whole weekend.  Baby wipes will definitely not remove every last morsel of it which will lead to your skin and pores feeling clogged, possibly leading to spots.  I prefer to go bare faced with some concealer hiding my dark circles, down the bridge of the nose and any redness on my face.  Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer is brilliant for this.  To warm up my face, I use a Radiance Boost from Virgin Vie.  It instantly makes a
dull festival face seem full of life and I would definitely recommend it.

If you feel like you would prefer base with more coverage than I go for, go for a BB cream with SPF in it - my all time summer favourite would be the Topshop BB Cream with SPF20.  Light, buildable and will protect you from those UV rays.  

5) Eyes

A lot of festival make up tutorials use bright, electric colours on the eyes.  In reality, no one really wants to sit in their tent for an hour perfecting a bold eye look with lots of blending and/or stencils (or at least I certainly don't!).  I tend to opt for cream shadows that are easily blended out with just fingers.  I love a shimmery warm look on the eyes for a festival.  A few of my favourites are Benefit's 'My Two Cents' and 'Birthday Suit', and Maybelline's 'On and On Bronze'.

I would be lost without liquid eyeliner, and because I use it every day I find it easy to line my upper lash line and wing out my eyes in under a minute!  Don't worry if you can't yet, it takes a lot of practice.  My all time favourite is L'oreal's Super Liner Black Eyeliner.  If you prefer a more smudged line to your eyes then you could go for a pencil liner (the Rimmel Scandal Eyes range is superb).  I find gel eyeliner is really fiddly in general, so I would probably avoid it for a festival!

I think a warm shimmery eyeshadow look looks AMAZING with some blue eyeliner in the waterline.  My favourite is a Barry M kohl pencil that I've had for a while now.  I find it's that pop of colour that just brings the whole eye look together.  I've attached a picture below!

Mascara is always a must for me.  This year I will definitely be taking my trusty Maybelline The Falsies to T In The Park!  Personally I avoid waterproof mascara's because they're really hard to take off at night and you will definitely struggle with just baby wipes.  The Falsies is a great mascara and doesn't run down my face!

It's important to keep your eyebrows in check over the weekend so don't forget to pack your tweezers and and eyebrow pencil!

6) Lips

My very well loved lip butter

My perfect lip gloss!

I tend to stay away from bright lip colours and go for more 'your lips but better' shades.  Check out Revlon's Colorburst Lip Butters - I love the shades Berry Smoothie and Pink Truffle.  This year I'm thinking of taking Tanya Burr's Lip Gloss in the shade Aurora because its so natural and really completes a make up look.

I thought I'd show you a look using some of the products mentioned.  It's really natural and pretty and will take you at most 15 minutes!

Keeping products minimal

Products used - 

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer

Virgin Vie Radiance Boost

Benefit 'My Two Cents'

L'oreal Black Superliner Eyeliner

Make Up Store Brow Pencil No. 3

Barry M Turquoise Kohl Eyeliner

Maybelline The Falsies Mascara

Tanya Burr Lip Gloss in Aurora

 Apologies for the atrocious camera quality

My favourite part about any make up look is the eyes and recently I'm obsessed with a blue waterline!

Zoe x

Mini Haul | Soap and Glory & Books!

Yesterday, my mum, nanny & I went to a big retail park near where we live and visited a massive Boots and Tesco.  As much as I LOVE high end make up I will always be a Boots girl at heart.  There were so many deals on, like if you spent £9 in Rimmel you would get a free natural bronzer or 3 for 2 on all L'oreal products which are both soooo tempting!!

A brand that I've never had anything from before (besides a concealer too dark for me given from my mum) is Soap & Glory and I was really intrigued in a lot of their products because I'd never seen any others like them!  Also who can let a 3 for 2 offer go amiss.  Here's what I picked up:

The Kick-Ass Concealer looked soooo interesting.  It has 3 steps - a peachy toned concealer to counteract dark circles undereyes, a yellow toned concealer to counteract redness in the face and blemishes, and a translucent setting powder to set the cream concealers!  I'd never seen anything like it before - am I new to a trend??

I'm never 100% happy with my eyebrows.  I've been switching between an eyebrow pencil which I don't like very much but want to use it up (stingey...) and MAC Omega eyeshadow which is BRILLIANT but my eyebrow shape is too horrible for it to perform it's full wonders.  So I saw a brow stick which had a felt tip end (the tint) and a waxy crayon end (the shaping pencil).  I tried it out as soon as I got home and my brows finaaaaally looked strong and full!!  I got the colour 'Love Is Blonde' - cute name!  Think this might be my new holy grail.

Also picked up a Sexy Mother Pucker (lol) Gloss Stick.  I have an unreal amount of lip products, particularly lip glosses so the concept of a lipgloss in a stick looked so cool.  I got the colour 'Fuschiaristic' (Soap & Glory seem to have the best names for products?!).  This is such a breakthrough product for me, it looks and feels just like a lipgloss but with no sticky mess!  The colour looks bright but when applied is actually really natural on.  My sister tried it on when I got home and decided she really wants one too :-).  I think this could be the start of a Soap and Glory make up obsession.

I also got three travel clear make up bags.  I'm going on two holidays this summer and to T in the Park so these will definitely come in handy.

Tesco had a deal on books - two for £7.  I have been putting off watching Divergent until I've read it so picked that up.  I'm already hooked and spent this morning in bed reading it!  I also chose 'With All My Love' by Patricia Scanlan, just randomly.  The blurb made it seem really interesting and might be just what I'm needing to read after a fallout with my mum last week haha.

Let me know what you think if you have tried any of the products or read either of the books!

Zoe x