My Top 5 Summer Essentials

This year, we've actually had a summer. The sun made an appearance, I got a tan (this is a big deal) and at times, the UK was hotter than parts of Italy and Spain. And if that's not impressive, I don't know what is.

Over the past few weeks, I've noticed myself reaching for the same few items over and over, and I couldn't keep them to myself, could I?

Any of you oily skinned girls out there, like myself, will know that in summer our faces look 400x more oily than they do in winter. And trust me, the 'I just smeared some olive oil onto my face' look is not a good look. Which is why I've turned to these little trusty fellows. The blotting papers. Or the 'oil absorbing sheets' if you wish to be more posh and precise. These are just lifesavers. They absorb oil like nothing else on earth and they just work like a dream. I'm not fussy at all with what brand I use, but I do really like the Boots Skin Clear ones. 

My next essential is such a typical essential, but it's an essential essential. (Could I say essential any more times in one sentence?) It's an SPF face cream. I know how important it is to protect your skin from the sun, and I found this mini No7 Protect and Perfect Day Cream lurking in the back of my drawer so I thought I'd give it a go, and I've fallen in love. It's so light, non-greasy, moisturising, it sinks in like a dream and most importantly it doesn't break me out. Which always gets a big thumbs and a pat on the tube back from me.

Waterproof mascara. Another typical summer essential, but it really is a great thing to have, especially if you're at the beach or in the pool on holiday (I'm probably on the beach as you read this). The one I use is the Collection Killer Curves Waterproof Mascara in Black as this really is waterproof. It doesn't run and it stays on my lashes all day until I need to remove it, which unfortunately, is a pretty horrific task. Why must it be so difficult to remove, why why why? It makes my lashes look nice and long but my only problem with it is that it's really dry? I don't know if maybe I just picked up a dud tube, but it's like applying tar to my lashes, and I can't layer it, which kind of sucks. 

In summer I need to use an SPF lip balm. My lips burn SO easily and I end up rocking the 'crispy lobster lips' look for a good few days, which really isn't fun. My favourite one is the Palmers Dark Chocolate and Cherry Tinted Lip Balm. It almost smells too good (is that even possible?) and it gives off a lovely red tint, I love love love love it.

Finally, sunglasses. These basically go without saying. My eyes get insanely sore in the sun and I get these lovely wrinkle lines on my forehead from screwing my eyes up so much, so in summer I basically live in sunglasses. The only disadvantage of them is that you think you're tanned then you take them off and realise that you still look like a glowing milk bottle. Oh the joys. I would tell you where these are from, but I honestly have no idea. Oops.


I'm currently on holiday so as you read this I'll either be by the pool or down at the beach. Don't be too jealous;) I hope you're all having a lovely summer and that the weather has been good to you too.

Boots Beauty Advent Calendar- Days 18 & 19

Yet again, I've had to bunch two days together as I had no time last night to take photos or type a post, and it's so much easier to bunch both together.

You know when I said one day 14 that it was the last perfume sample? Well urm yeah, I was wrong, yesterday's was the last one, but it wasn't a disappointing one.

Anyone guessed??

Yesterday's gift was the last perfume sample in the calendar, Ghost Moonlight. If you can remember way back to day 11, where I got the Ghost original fragrance, this one smells really similar but it's just a bit more floral and feminine. I was chuffed to recieve this as Ghost fragrances smell amazing and I'll get a lot of use out of this one.

As the previous Ghost sample I got, this one came with a screw off lid and a stick applicator which I think is really clever and a nice way to apply perfume.
Yet again, here is a link to The Perfume Shop to get all the information on the fragrance.


Today's gift was rather exciting as it is a product I have wanted to try for a while but it's one of those products that are forever out of stock and difficult to get hold of, but now I have it and I'm chuffed.

What could it be??

Today's gift was a Classic Carmex Lip Balm. I have been wanting this for ages and I'm happy to finally have it. It smells really minty/menthol-y and it's really nice to apply to the lips.

There is a lot of product in this tub and even after using it once, my lips feel a lot better than they've felt in a few weeks. I'm sure I'll get good use out of this and it may even help heal my flaking lips (I'm like a snake).

Boots Beauty Advent Calendar- Day 2

So it's day 2 of advent and I yet again, got out of bed super fast (I need an advent calendar for every month of the year).

As yesterday, this gift was also well worth the jumping out of bed-ness (I think I'll end up saying this in every post).

The excitement...

Yaaaaay!

Today's gift was a Balmi Lip Balm in Strawberry. This was super exciting for me as I've never tried any Balmi lip products but I've always wanted to.

Balmi are essentially a cube version of the EOS Lip balms which unfortunately aren't available in the UK. The lip balm is shaped like a little mountain which makes it really easy to apply. It smells amazing which is a bonus.

It also comes with a little hook thing, so you can tie it to your phone (or something like that), which I think is completely unnecessary but you can remove it so I won't complain too much. It is quite a good idea though, just not for me.

Overall I'm super impressed with today's gift and there will definitely, definitely be more jumping out of bed-ness tomorrow and for the remainder of advent.

Autumn/Winter Makeup Essentials

So it's now well into Autumn and Winter is fast approaching. During the colder months, my makeup changes so I thought I would share my 6 main makeup essentials for Autumn/Winter. Enjoyy!

The first item that is a must during Autumn/Winter, isn't necessarily makeup but I just had to put it in. I also mentioned this in My Daily Makeup and it's my Burts Bee's Lip Balm.

This is one of my all time favourite lip balms. I have tried everything, from Blistex to Vaseline, but none work on my very dehydrated, chapped lips. This is the only lip balm that actually does something. I apply a generous amount of this before applying lipstick/lip gloss and before I go to bed. When I take my lipstick/lip gloss off at the end of the day and when I wake up, my lips are as soft as a baby's bum (liking my metaphor there). I just don't know how it does it!! And just as you thought I couldn't praise this lip balm any more, the smell. Oh sweet lord it smells like peppermint which, if you know me well, is my favourite smell EVER. I could ramble on about this for hours but I'm going to stop and suggest that you go to your nearest Boots as soon as possible and pick one of these up, you will not regret it!

The second and third items I think are a must have are lip colours. I have chosen 2 that I have been wearing the most this season and that I think would suit everyone.

The first lip product I have chosen is my Kiko Smart Lipstick in the shade '904 Strawberry Pink'. Some people may say this is a 'summery' colour but I think it's perfect for this time of year.

Personally I love the Kiko smart lipsticks. They're creamy, pigmented and have incredible staying power. There is also a HUGE shade range and they really are not expensive at all. I picked this shade up, along with shade '905' (mentioned in My Daily Makeup), when I was in France and I will be picking up A LOT more shades when I'm in Milan next Easter.

I love this colour. It does look a bit darker on the lips than in the swatch above, but it doesn't look too 'over the top' and is perfect for school. It smells AMAZING, like white chocolate magnums is how I describe it to everyone. I would suggest that you all go and check Kiko out because they are one of my favourite brands, their products are amazing and great value for money!

The second lip product I have chosen is also from Kiko. It's the Kiko Extra Volume Lipgloss in '27 Opal Rose'. 

I purchased this at the same time as the lipstick and boy I'm glad I did. It is so so pigmented and can be worn alone, or over a lipstick (it goes really well with the lipstick I just mentioned). I don't find it to be sticky in the slightest and it also has the 'white chocolate magnum' smell which is an added bonus! The lasting power of this is also remarkable. Because it's so glossy you wouldn't expect it to last for long, but I have worn this for around 6 hours once, including eating and drinking, and even then it was only just starting to wear away. The glossiness had gone after around 2 hours and left more of a stain, but I'm not complaining. Unfortunately this shade was limited edition and is no longer available but I believe a similar shade is '19 Pearly Cranberry'.

The fourth and fifth makeup item's I have chosen are eyeshadow's. The first eyeshadow I have chosen is my Maybelline Color Tattoo in 'On and On Bronze'. 

Now I talked about this is my last post, so I'm not going to ramble on for too long, but this is my perfect colour for this time of year as I like to stick with golds/bronzes/coppers etc. This is hands down my favourite autumn/winter eyeshadow and I have a feeling that it won't be off my eyes much. It also creates the perfect base for other eyeshadows which makes it even better. For a more 'in depth' mini review, read my October Favourites post.

The second eyeshadow isn't actually just one eyeshadow, it's actually a whole palette. It's my MUA Undress Me Too Palette. This is the only eyeshadow palette I actually own but I love it.

I don't use all of the shades at this time of year but the shades I do use are;

Devotion,

Fiery,

Dreamy,

Tranquil,

Wink,

And Obsessed.

I love all of these colours but my absolute favourite has to be Wink. It's a lovely rose gold sort of colour and just looks so so nice on the eyes. Just a quick side note, the colour I have hit pan on is the one I use for my brows so that is why I haven't mentioned it. 

Below are swatches of all the eyeshadow's mentioned. 

I love this palette and even though there are some dud colours (the black one in particular) I would recommend to anyone just starting out with makeup as you can do some really nice eye looks with the good colours.

The final product that I feel is essential for Autumn/Winter is a foundation. Now up until recently, I hadn't touched foundation for about 3 months, but now it's been getting colder, I've been reaching for my Max Factor Colour Adapt foundation.

This foundation gives a medium coverage but it is buildable. I think for autumn and winter, medium to full coverage foundations are great as I find my skin goes a bit crazy and I like to cover up imperfections and blemishes etc. I'd say that this is a cream to powder formulation as it goes quite powdery, but not cakey, when it sets. I love this as it dries matte and actually helps keep me matte all day. This does tend to cling to dry patches so I do have to be careful. 

I have this in the lightest shade '40 Creamy Ivory' as I'm like a ghost in Winter and it matches perfectly. Max Factor are one of the only brands that do foundations pale enough for my skin, so I always try and use foundations from them.

This is my new favourite foundation and I would recommend to anyone with oily, combination or normal skin.

Anddd, that is it for today's post. I really hope it was helpful and you enjoyed reading it. Please comment down below if you've tried any of the products I mentioned or if you would like to try any, or even if you have any product recommendations for me as I love trying new things:)

My Daily Makeup

Well hello again. As you can probably already see, today's post is going to be about my daily makeup. This post will be quite long so grab yourself a cup of tea or whatever, and get comfy.

To start off I do my concealer. The concealer I am currently using is the ever famous Collection Lasting Perfection concealer.

I apologise for the state of the tube, all the writing has rubbed off.

I do find that this concealer can cling to dry patches and make them more noticeable and even if I do moisturise, it does still cling. If you have very dry skin, I would avoid this concealer like the plague. 

Please comment below if there are any concealers which give the same amount of coverage as this, but are a bit more hydrating. 

I use this concealer on blemishes and occasionally under my eyes and it does a great job of concealing the blemishes but I do find it to be a bit too thick and cakey for underneath my eyes. 

I have this concealer in Shade 2 'Light'. It is an almost perfect match but my only niggle is that it is rather pink toned, I don't know if that's just me or not?

This concealer has a doe foot applicator which some people may find unhygenic because you're dabbing it onto blemishes and under your eyes but I think it works just fine and I haven't experienced any problems at all.

Next I do my eyeliner. The eyeliner I use is Collection Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner. I love this eyeliner so much. It's waterproof, stays on all day, comes off really easily and never smudges.

As the name suggests, it is a felt tip liner. I prefer this type of eyeliner as I feel as though you have a lot more control over the thickness of the line etc. 

This eyeliner is incredibly pigmented and is super black and glossy, exactly how I like liquid liner to be. I'd recommend this to anyone that wishes to start using liquid eyeliner as it is easy to use and affordable.

Next, while waiting for my eyeliner to completely dry (even though it is fast drying, I like to be sure), I do my eyebrows. I use an eye shadow from the MUA Undress Me Too palette as it is a perfect colour match to my brows.

I use the shade 'Lavish' which is an ashy brown sort of colour. It's not the most pigmented but it does the job fine. I apply this to my brows using an angled brush.

To set my brows I use my MUA Clear Mascara.

This is perfect for setting your brows as it doesn't leave a white flaky film (as some clear mascara's have done for me in the past) and it's super duper cheap at only £1. This keeps my brows in place all day and is definitely my new 'go to' brow gel.

Once I've done my brows I move onto my eyelashes. Firstly I curl them using my Superdrug Eyelash Curlers.

  

These were actually a 2 minute purchase as I needed a new pair and I had a bus to catch in 5 minutes so I ran into Superdrug and grabbed these. These do the job and curl your lashes nicely but I will be looking into a better pair for the future as there are many others in the market. I would however recommend these to anyone who is just starting out with makeup because they are cheap, and do a good job.

After curling my lashes I then apply mascara to both my top and bottom lashes. This past week I have been using my new Scandal Eyes Flex mascara that I featured in my 'Makeup Haul' post last week.

I have been absolutely loving this mascara. It makes my lashes look absolutely huge without making them clumpy or stiff. The brush is massive but delivers such incredible results. Look out for a full review of this mascara coming soon.

When I've finished my eyes, I then move on to my lips. I always apply a lip balm before applying lipstick as I like to make sure my lips are always hydrated, even if it is a hydrating lipstick. At the moment I have been using my Burts Bee's Beeswax Lip Balm.

This lip balm is a lovely creamy consistency and it sort of melts onto your lips. It smells incredible, a nice minty smell and when it's on your lips, you can feel it tingling. I have a strong feeling that this will be a staple item in my makeup bag this winter.

Over the top of my lip balm I apply a lipstick. The lip colour I choose to wear usually depends on what sort of mood I'm in, but this past week I've been swapping between 2.

The first one I've been wearing is my Rimmel Colour Rush Colour Balm in the shade 'On Fire'. This is another new purchase that I have been absolutely loving. 

I just absolutely love this shade and I think I will continue to love it all year round as I feel as though it is an 'all seasons' lip colour. These are so moisturizing and so pigmented and I just can't express my love for them. They also smell AH-MAZING. Watch out for a full review coming soon.

The other lip colour I have been swapping my Rimmel Colour Rush Colour Balm with is my Kiko Smart Lipstick in Shade 905 'Coral Red'. 

I love this lipstick. It's so creamy and pigmented and it doesn't dry out your lips at all. 

This colour is a light orangey-red with gold glitter through it. It looks so nice on the lips and out of the few Kiko lipsticks I have, this one is definitely my favourite. It is also very natural on the lips and is not too over the top.

Finally to finish my whole face off, I powder using my Rimmel Stay Matte Powder. This is yet again another new purchase, but I still haven't made up my mind on what I think of this. It definitely doesn't keep me matte all day, 4 hours max. The hunt for the perfect mattifying powder continues. If anyone has any suggestions on a good mattifying powder that WILL keep me matte all day, please leave a comment below.

I have this in Shade '001 Transparent' as I do not wish for any colour pay off, just something to mattify my skin.   

Now, that is my whole face of makeup finished. A lot of you may be wondering why I don't wear foundation, truth is, I just feel like I don't need to wear it so that is why I leave it out. Also I do wear more makeup than this for special events etc but this is just my daily makeup that I wear to school.

I really hope that this post has been helpful and may encourage you to try some new products.