What I Got For Christmas!

Hi everyone, just wanted to say before I dive into the post that I'm always a bit cautious of things such as this! I want to make it clear before you continue reading that by doing this post I am in no way bragging about my gifts. I feel extremely lucky to have got these items and the generosity of my family but if you're not a fan of posts like this, I'd recommend skipping this post. Also, I apologize for the lighting - England is dark as anything with the cold weather at the moment. With that being said, I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and if you're as nosey as me about other people's presents then I hope you enjoy! :)

Yankee Candles in Sun & Sand, Coastal Waters, Beach Wood and Drift Away

Candles - Anyone who knows me will know that I'm not a huge fan of sweet, sickly scents and more a fan of the beachy or fruitier scents. I love Yankee Candles (can you tell?) and received four I haven't tried before that all smell wonderful.

Clarins freebies, Garnier Body Tonic Scrub, Good Things Face The Day Moisturizer, Origins Never A Dull Moment, Origins Checks & Balances and Clarins Melting Gel Cleanser

Skincare & Bodycare - I really wanted to try some Origins cleansers and after reading reviews, decided these two would work best for my skin type. I was also intrigued by the Clarins melting gel after hearing Adrienne from TheSundayGirl rave about it so much. I won't say too much but so far I am LOVING it. 

Armani Code Perfume, Clarins Instant Smooth Primer, Jessica High Gloss Top Coat, Topshop Innocent Lipstick, YSL Glossy Stain in #10, Ted Baker Makeup Set (Mascara, Eyeliner, Lashes, Rosegold Eyelash Curlers, Tweezers), Rimmel Red Dynamite Lipliner, Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara, MAC Formidable Nail Varnish, NARS Douceur Blush

Make Up - This is always the most exciting part for me. I received NARS Douceur blush which I've lusted after for ages. This was one of my favourite presents as well as the Clarins Instant Smooth Primer - both of which I haven't stopped wearing since I got them. I was also gifted the YSL Glossy Stain from my wishlist, Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara, MAC Formidable nail varnish (an unexpected present and my first polish from them) and a Lady Million Rollerball all of which are gorgeous.

Topshop Brown Scarf, Topshop Fairsle Snood, Bright Red/Pink Scarf, Handmade knitted Beanie and Topshop Giftcard

Winter Warmers - I am a self-confessed scarf addict (I must own at least 10!) so scarves are always a welcome gift for me. The Topshop Snood is amazing, my mum loved it so much she got it for herself then hid it when I came home! Another special present is the beanie too, my stepdads mum is amazing at knitting and made this for me after giving me a jumper a similar colour earlier in the year. You can tell it was such a personal gift which meant a lot to me.

Hand Blender, Finlandia Vodka, Haribo Starmix and Supermix, Linwood Barclay 'Trust Your Eyes', Topshop Rose Gold Makeup Bag, One Tree Hill Season 9, S&G Hair Turban, Boofle Mug, Penguin Keyring, Diva Jewellery, Q&A A Day Book, Fruit Sweets, 'K' Notepad and Batiste Dry Shampoo in Tropical

Miscellaneous - I feel there is a lot explaining to do here! The hand blender was exciting because I really want to start homemaking some soup and the huge bottle of vodka I didn't ask for but it's also a welcome addition for any student ;). Although it doesn't really show up in the picture, the  makeup bag is so pretty - I absolutely love anything rosegold. I also asked for the new Linwood Barclay book as he is my favourite author, I love love his books and would recommend them to any fan of mystery/crime books. The One Tree Hill Season 9 I was particularly happy about as I know own the entire boxset, I can now rewatch the whole thing over and over again and pretend it never ended (cry). You may be able to tell that I didn't receive any chocolate, this is due to the fact I'm actually dairy intolerant so my family being as sympathetic as possible buy me sweets to satisfy my sweet cravings :)

Ketchup - This is such an odd present I gave it it's own picture! Every year I receive a bottle of this because my family always joke I'm addicted (..which I am) so it's a tradition in my household! 

So there you have it. I hope you all had a lovely time and take this post lightheartedly, I really feel so lucky for the people I have around me more than for any gift this time and hope you all have a great NYE celebration if I don't post before then :)

What I Bought #1 - Boxing Day Boots Sale

It's known in my family that every year, me, my mum and my sister save up our Boots points and only spend them on Boxing Day when all the sets go down in price. This year, I ended up saving a shameful amount (£102 worth of points, oops!) but managed to restrain myself just buying two giftsets.

Soap and Glory 'Smooth Over Darling' Set - Originally £35.00, bought for £17.50

The first thing I knew I wanted to keep my eye out for was this set, which contains the collection of products with the 'Mist You Madly' body spray scent. I've already confessed my love for the scrub here and since after recently trying out Clean Girls, I also adore this product. The whole range smells incredible and can't wait to use them all! The products inside minus the loafer add up to £28.50 so it's definitely a bargain and I'd highly recommend getting if you can find it :)

Stella Set - Originally around £40, bought for £25.33

The second thing I picked up was this Stella gift set. After browsing perfume sets of the scents I already own and either not finding them or deciding they weren't that good of a deal, I went for this one. I love the scent and the bottle so look forward to using this soon.

Finally, my sister rang me today to tell me she'd found me the Britney Spears Radiance gift set for £13.37 when it's usually £20. I was happy about this cos it has two smaller bottles so one will be great for travel and keeping in your hangbag!

So that's all I got. Not quite sure what I'll spend my remaining Boots points on, I'll probably save them for when I run out of my essentials and have no money but I'm proud of myself for not going TOO mad..

What did you pick up in the sales?

Wishlist #1

1. YSL Glossy Stain in #10 - heard so many good things about these stains and after seeing this red shade on FleurDeForce I knew I had to have it!

2. NARS Douceur Blush - I really want a natural, sculpting style blush that I can pair with a more dramatic eye or lip look and this dusty rose shade looks perfect for this

3. Korres Guava Set - One of my all time favourite products are the Korres lip butter so I'd love to venture into their bodycare stuff also as the scents are amazing

4. Revlon Mulled Wine Lipstick - I'm not sure if this is avaliable in the UK as I haven't seen it in any Boots stores near me but it looks like such a lovely red and the formula of their lipsticks are one of my favourites

5. Clarins Instant Smooth Primer - Another product I've heard nothing but good things about. I do like my Laura Mercier primer, but I don't find it's amazing for it's price so would love to try this one

6. Molecule 1 Perfume - A bit gimmicky but all the reviews of this make it sound amazing and it's definitely something that's left me intrigued to see if it has the effect people say it does!

7. Origins Checks and Balances Face Wash - I have yet to find my HG face cleanser and since I love so many Origins products already, it only seems right that I branch into trying some of their cleansers :)


What's top of your wishlist this Christmas?

Review: Origins Eye Doctor

Hi everyone! Bit of a different post to my usual makeup/nail posts because I wanted to tell you all about my holy grail eye cream, Origins Eye Doctor.

Origins Eye Doctor £26/15ml

I don't think I've mentioned this on my blog before, but I have extremely sensitive eyes. They tend to water by the end of the day, creating sore patches of dry skin around them which not only looks horrible but is painful too. I've tried a lot of eye creams, including the more popular Origins Eye Cream Ginzings but for me, that just doesn't compare! 

The cream itself has a light cucumber scent which is refreshing but not overpowering in the slightest for me. It's quite a thick consistancy, so I tend to use a larger amount overnight and dap a smaller amount on my eye area in the mornings. I find this product not only soothes any soreness or dry areas around my eye, but really brightens the area too. On top of this, I suffer slightly from milia and this is the only cream to improve the problem rather than make it worse.

For me, this really is a miracle product that I feel I couldn't live without. I don't think I'll ever have to try another as after working through all my other eye creams before repurchasing I can honestly say I really missed the results it gave me, which I never thought I'd say about a product of this kind of all things!

Barry M Collection

As you might be able to tell from my backlog of posts, I love nail polish. I literally can't go a day with nothing on my nails. The biggest collection from a brand I have are Barry M polishes. I find these last really well on my nails with a good top coat and have a beautiful range of colours. There was actually a time I owned every single Barry M polish on the website but cut it down to my favourites when I started realising I never got to wear half of them!
They are definitely my favourite forumlation and great for the price (usually between £2.99-£3.99 but on offers a lot). With that being said, here's my collection...

From L-R

Raspberry - as the same suggests this is a raspberry red colour with pink undertones.

Red Glitter - again, as the name says this is a red glitter polish. This is definitely a christmas shade for me and I pretty much wear this every year around the festive period.

Burgundy - I never really see this shade spoken about but it's a dark purpley red shade with sheen to it. It's really a lovely shade, it definitely deserves more recognition.

Coral - I'd say this is more an orange red shade than a coral but one of my favourites, it's a go to colour when I don't know what colour I want to wear.

Racing Green - Another amazing shade that is never spoken about, a beautiful emerald green I think would look amazing on any skin tone

Navy - This colour goes with anything, a navy with a shimmer running through it

Berry Ice Cream - This is from their pastel range so the name 'berry' may be a little misleading. This colour is a definite favourite for me alongside Topshop Celestial, a light lilacy shade that is especially perfect in the summer.

Boots LE - I don't know if 'boots' is the name of this but it's all it says underneath! I really like this one because I like purple nails a lot, and this one is bright with a pinky tone to it which is really flattering.

Vivid Purple - I spoke about this shade as well as Racing Green and Navy here, this is a deep shimmery plumish purple, great for this time of year

Pink Flamingo - This is my favourite pink polish because it is more of a light coral colour, it really stands out

Neon Pink - speaking of shades that stand out, this colour is lovely! I use this most on a night out because it's such a shocking neon shade with blue reflects when it hits the light, I really recommend this if your looking for a really bright colour.

Silver Pink - This a new one for me (thanks housemates!) and as the name suggests it's a pinky silver glitter. I've only used this once but I love it for an accent nail with a neutral colour.

Gold LE - Again, this annoyingly has no shade name. It's a gold glitter that sort of looks like shimmery foil on the names. It comes free when you spend £6 in Boots at the moment so worth picking some up for the freebie.

Charmeleon - This is the silver/purple one. It's great for doing some simple nail art because you get a different colour when you apply top coat. The only problem I find is I like to wear top coat all over the nail to stop it from chipping so I'm not totally sold on this one yet

Matte White - I have this shade for one reason and one reason alone, which is that my housemates bought me some dotting tools so I really needed a white shade so I can have polka dot nails. I am yet to test this but expect to see a nail post if it goes right!

Phew! Sorry for all the rambling but I hope this was helpful for anyone looking into getting more/some Barry M polishes. What are your favourite shades?

Current Top 5 Blushes

Hi everyone :) 
Today I thought I'd share with you my current 5 favourite blushes. I'm gonna start by being honest here and saying I don't have that many blushes (less than 10 I'm sure) as I tend to only buy colours that are pretty different from eachother!

From L-R: Nars Deep Throat, Nars Sin, MAC Coygirl, Laura Mercier Lush Nectarine, MAC Light Year Msf

Nars Deep Throat - Dodgy name aside, I would probably say this is my all time favourite blush. It's a beautiful warm, light shade of pinky peach with a light shimmer running through that brightens up your face without looking overly shimmery. Although Orgasm is the cult Nars product, I actually much prefer this one, and would definitely repurchase it again and again!

Nars Sin - This is a blush that looks so scary in the pan but once it's applied it is the most perfect plummy colour that looks particularly amazing in the winter. Like Deep Throat, this does have a slight shimmer running through it, but nothing that looks too glitterball on the cheeks. As with all Nars blushes this is super pigmented so if you're fair like me, I'd recommend a light hand.

MAC Coygirl - I have spoken about this before in my MAC favourites so I won't say too much other than this is a lovely matte plummy pink colour and it gives you that perfect flushed look without being overdone. It's such an underrated blush because it is definitely my favourite MAC one I've tried (and I've tried quite a few!)

Laura Mercier Lush Nectarine - I have a confession to make, peachy shades don't often suit me at all. However, thankfully this one has a lot of pink undertones I can just about pull it off. I think this is a shade that would suit a lot of skintones and I would definitely look into more Laura Mercier blushes as they have some lovely shades on offer and this is really pigmented.

MAC Light Year MSF (Limited Edition) - Sorry to be annoying and include a limited edition product but I really do love this msf for a simple sculpting look for the cheeks, especially when I'm wearing an eyeshadow look or a bright lip. It is quite shimmery (being a msf) so I'd avoid highlighter with this one but it is great for days where my skin is looking a little dull as it works great at perking the skin up. If you can find this anyone, I'd highly recommend.

Just as a note, I have to say of all the brands of blush I've tried Nars are definitely my favourite formulations as they are all so pigmented, easy to apply and last longer on me than any other brand :)

Have you tried any of these blushers? What are your favourites?

A Vampy Lip

From the recent MAC Marilyn Monroe collection, I bring you the perfect 'vampy' lip! Deeply Adored is a beautiful dark red shade with slight blue undertones. Although in swatches it may appear a bit plum toned don't be fooled, this is most definitely a deep scarlet red that would look beautiful on a variety of skintones. 

As you would expect from a Matte lipstick, the colour payoff is really great. Some find the Matte formulas to be a little drying but on my lips they really aren't as drying for some reason! I actually seem to be the only person who finds the cremesheens a lot more drying.. Anyway, due to the pigmentation, this shade is opaque in one sweep across the lips and with a bit of lip liner to prevent bleeding (I used Rimmel's one in 'Black Tulip') you are good to go!

In terms of how to wear this, I think it looks best with really simple make up - I tend to wear nothing but mascara on the eyes and sometimes a bit of Nars blush in Sin on my cheeks, though most often I will just wear this with no blush or eyeshadow so all the focus is on the lips. The colour lasts a good few hours on the lips for me without the need of a touch up, which is really nice - especially on a night out.

Unfortunately, this collection sold out so quickly but if you ever see it in a blog sale or have a chance to get I would highly recommend snatching it up! 

What's your favourite dark lip shade?

Current Perfume Collection

Compared to other beauty bloggers, its safe to say I don't have a large collection. I actually find it really hard to use perfumes up so try to keep mine to a minimum to prevent them going bad before I've had a chance to finish them! That aside, I thought I'd share the few I had with you all and my thoughts on each :)

Starting with the cheapest of the bunch, Britney Spears Radiance which you can pick up for around £28 for the biggest bottle, 100ml. I have to say, I'm really not much of a snob when it comes to nice scents and I do love the smell of this one, it has similar notes to my more expensive ones and is fruity and floral. It's key notes are tuberose, jasmine, orange flower, iris, berries, amber, musk and wood scents. I would highly recommend this as an everyday cheapish scent.

In the centre of the picture is one of my all time favourites, tied only with one I will mention later! This is the original Armani Code which in it's biggest size of 75ml retails for around £70. First off, the bottle for this is so beautiful! You'll see a recurring theme here that like many of the other perfumes, this has scents of orange blossom, jasmine and orange as well as musk, honey and vanilla notes to it. I tend to save this and my other favourite for special occasions and nights out because of their price, but really beautiful night out perfumes. It's the most amazing scent and I highly recommend trying it out in store!

Next up is my newest perfume, Stella Summer Rose which in the 100ml form is around £33 which I think is more than reasonable! I have to say, along with Armani I really do think Stella does some beautiful perfumes. This is great as an everyday perfume and as you can probably guess from the title it is pretty floral, but does have fruiterier notes to it too. It's most noticeable components are rose (obviously!), peony, lemon, apple and amber.

Armani Diamonds Summer is my only limited edition fragrance and my second Armani fragrance. I'll be honest here, I think out of the five this is probably my least favourite but that's not to say it isn't a nice scent. I sort of bought this on a whim and although I like it, it's just not as overwelmingly lovely as my others to me and I don't find it lasts as long as I'd like it to for the price I paid for it! It contains raspberry, litchi, rose, peony, musk, wood and amber and retails for around £62 for the full 100ml size but I'm sure mines smaller than that, I just can't find it!

Finally is my other all time favourite, Paco Rabanne Lady Million which in it's full 80ml size retails for around £55-65. This sounds really odd, but this is one of those scents that you feel really confident wearing! I definitely get the most compliments when I wear this or Armani Code which is always the sign of a great perfume to me. It's really longlasting and has notes of neroli, orange flower (again), jasmine (again!), bitter orange, raspberry, honey and patchouli. I really recommend this perfume and will always have it in my collection!

This doesn't really need to be said, but it's worth noting that I never buy perfumes for myself, I ask for them as presents and will only buy them on mine and my families annual trip to Boots on boxing day (yes we're that sad) where we use all our points we saved that year to buy the 50% off stuff leftover from Christmas which often includes perfume giftsets :)

What are your favourite perfumes?

Katherine xo

OPI Gargantuan Green Grape

After the positive feedback on my previous nail posts I thought today I'd write about my favourite mint green polish, Gargantuan Green Grape by OPI! I realise this may seem a bit inappropriate for this time of year, but I'm not one of those people who restricts myself to dark colours in the colder months, am I the only one who doesn't?! Anyway, onto the review..

I only bought this nail polish a couple of weeks ago whilst waiting for my flight to Dublin. Gatwick Airport was the worst temptation, it's full of such lovely brands and there's so many counters! Anyway, I've wanted this shade for ages after seeing it on Ingrid (MissGlamorazzi on Youtube), but never bought it online because I was convinced that mint greens don't go well with my skintone. Again, I was pleasantly surprised to find it was a lovely colour in the bottle and on the nails.

(Please excuse my cuticles, I'd run out of cream for them!)

This shade only took a couple of coats until it was opaque, which was great. As much as everybody raves about OPI, I often find they can be a bit hit and miss. I seem to unintentionally choose shades that are either very sheer, chip easily or streak a lot and sometimes all three but I can report that this one does not do any of these things and is in fact a great formulation. It lasted around 4 days on my nails which is always good and if you're looking for a mint green or a new OPI polish I would highly recommend this one!

Empties #1

I've used up a few products lately and thought I would share them with you, as well as my thoughts on each one. I love these kinds of posts because it gives you quick reviews as well as a nosey insight to other peoples products!

The first product is the Clean Skin 5-in-1 Water from This Works. I've spoken more at length about this product here, so all I'll say is it does a great job of makeup removal. I only have one slight gripe with it which is that it stings my eyes slightly but I would repurchase if I end up preferring it to my recently purchased Bioderma (which I'm only just trying!)

My second product is the John Frieda Full Repair Conditioner. This is one of my favourite conditioners to use, as well as the Loreal Pink Elivive products as I don't like to spend too much on my hair routine as I find this already does a great job of making my hair smooth and shiny whilst minimizing my split ends. I would repurchase this product over and over but like alternating my conditioners so they still work to full effect.

Another empty is the Good Things Ultra Rich Body Lotion in the Cranberry and Avocado variety. First of all, this smells amazing! It sinks into the skin really quickly also which is a huge plus and I would definitely repurchase this in the summer as I feel the scent and texture is more geared for the warmer months.

Another I won't speak about it to much detail is Soap & Glory Scrub Em and Leave Em Body Scrub, as I've done a full review here. I have repurchased this at least 3 times and I don't see myself straying anytime soon. 

This isn't really a beauty product but I thought I'd throw in my favourite candle Beach Walk by Yankee Candle. I feel like I must be a bit of a different beauty blogger as I'm really not a fan of sweet, sickly scents and I really don't like vanilla! I'm more of a fan of their 'Fresh' candles which have more calming scents and this one definitely fits the bill with scents of salt water, sea musk, tangerine and orange blossom'. I seriously recommend smelling this and I will definitely repurchase!

Batiste dry shampoo's are another product I will always keep on me. This is the hint of dark brown colour one but I do just go for whichever one I feel like on the day which tends to either be this one, cherry or wild as they're my favourites.

Next is the Caudelie Beauty Elixir. A lot of people will disagree with me here, but this did absolutely nothing for my skin and I was so happy to finish it! I didn't like the smell, hated the fact it had alcohol as a main ingredients and saw no different to my skin whatsoever. I used it as a toner because it was expensive but I think it is completely over-hyped and would not repurchase.

Finally a bit of a boring one, the Cutex Nourishing Nail Polish Remover. I always get this particular one because I know it does a good job and that's all I really need from a product like this.

If you would like to see full reviews of any ranges of these products please let me know :)

Katherine xo

The Liebster and Versatile Blogger Award!

A few days ago I had a message to say I'd been nominated for the Liebster and Versatile Blogger Award by Bare Faced Beauty Junkie. I think this is a great opportunity for new bloggers (like myself!) to gain some recognition so thought i'd do the post myself :)

The Liebster blog award is for newer blogs with under 200 followers and it works like this:

• List 11 facts about yourself
• Answer the questions the nominator made for you and also create 11 more questions for the blogs you nominate 
• Choose 11 people and link them to your post 
• Go to their page and tell them.
• No tag backs

My 11 facts:

- My nicknames vary from Lilly, KP and Peanut. The first is because my sister couldn't say my name when we were little and the last 2 are because of my initials

- I am a huge fan of cooking and weight loss shows - my favourites being Masterchef and The Biggest Loser 

- I study Music and love it, I've interviewed a few bands now and it's the most exciting thing I've ever done 

- I love to read thriller/mystery books and love action films, I have a pretty manly taste in movies!

- I'm intolerant to dairy, eggs and cashews so I'm seriously limited on foods I can eat. I miss cheese and chocolate so bad!

- I have an extremely varied music taste but my favourite genre is folk, I particularly love Wakey! Wakey! and interviewed Grubbs before for my course (L) aka, Grubbs from One Tree Hill

- I am a bit of a nerd and love Xbox and Nintendo 64, mainly action games such as Grand Theft Auto

- I have a huge girl crush on Mila Kunis

- I'm a typical beauty blogger who loves Yankee Candles, except my favourites are the 'fresh' scents not the sweet ones that most people do

- I cannot sleep without a fan on in my room, I HATE sleeping in silence!

- I have an irrational fear of belly buttons, they literally make me gag :(

Questions:

1. If you had to choose one beauty holy grail what would it be?  Probably Korres Lip Butters because I HATE having dry lips and they are the only things that work for me
2.If you could live in one city in the world where would it be and why? I'm not totally sure! I'd probably want to live nearish to London still for my career but I would definitely live in Dublin if I could take all my loved ones with me :)
3.Are you Team Edward or Jacob? Twilight actually really isn't my thing, oops!
4.Do you watch the Real Housewives? If so what's your favourite city? Again, don't really watch this either!
5.Do blondes have more fun? I've never been a blonde so I'd obviously have to say no ;) we all do no matter what the hair colour!
6.Would you rather be boiling hot or freezing cold? Cold, because I love snuggling up in hoodies and my quilt
7.The Kardashians- yay or nay? Yay that their make up is always beautiful, nay to being a huge fan!
8.Are you a dog or cat person? Definitely dog person. I have a dog at home :)
9.What's the most fulfilling thing you have ever done? Probably interviewing Wakey! Wakey! as they are one of my favourite bands
10. If you got given £1000 what would you spend it on? A treat for all my loved ones and a holiday!
11.Any beauty tricks to share? Not so much a tip but when filling in eyebrows I always find it's a lot better to apply gel first so you get a neater finish

Finally, the blogs I tag!

Danielle R - http://daniella-r.blogspot.co.uk/

Sparkledustbeautyuk - http://sparkledust-beautyuk.blogspot.co.uk/

Lyanas Advice - http://liyanasadvice.blogspot.co.uk/

Cole Of The Ball - http://coleoftheballl33.blogspot.co.uk/

Ellie Alice - http://xelliealicex.blogspot.co.uk/

Hannah L Hearts - http://hannahlhearts.blogspot.co.uk/

The Beauty Heroes - http://thebeautyheroes.blogspot.co.uk/

Girl Plus World - http://girlplusworld13.blogspot.co.uk/

Someone In The Corner - http://www.someoneinthecorner.blogspot.co.uk/

That Bird - http://that-bird.blogspot.co.uk/

Ferdie's Place - http://ferdies-place.blogspot.co.uk/

The 11 Questions I ask them..

1) What are three beauty items you couldn't live without?
2) What is your favourite nail polish?
3) Holy Grail skincare item?
4) What's your favourite genre of movies and your favourite movie?
5) What's your aim in blogging?
6) If you could visit any other country, what would it be?
7) What company would you most like to work for?
8) How would you describe your style?
9) Favourite musician?
10) What's your wierdest fear?
11) What's your favourite thing about blogging?

What's in my travel makeup bag?

Hey everyone :) 
Firstly, I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while! I managed to leave my camera charger at home whilst i'm a couple of hours away at uni but I've managed to borrow a friends camera to show you what's in my travel makeup bag. The one that I use is a cosmetics bag from Cath Kidston and I find it's the perfect size for a weekend away.
Over the weekend I actually went away to Dublin for two of my friends' 21st's so thought I would show you the makeup and brushes that came away with me!

Face Products: To prime my skin, I took my Laura Mercier Oil Free Foundation Primer. This product is great, mainly due to the fact it is water based meaning it doesn't clog my pores but still manages prolongs my makeup without feeling too heavy on the skin. I then took my Dr Jart Water Fuse BB Cream which is my favourite base at the moment as it is looks so natural and still lasts well on my combination skin. Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum only has one purpose for me, which is my 'going out' foundation as it has no SPF but a natural finish. My concealer of choice was the Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection which I just used around any pigmentation on my cheeks and on my dark circles.

Cheek Products: For my cheeks, I kept it relatively simple only taking three products. For contouring, I took my all time favourite bronzer Nars Laguna which is the perfect shade when used with a light hand on fair skin. I only bought one blush, which doubled as a blush and highlight which was MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in 'Light Year' which comes out as a flattering nude on the cheeks. To powder my skin, I used my MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Medium which I find sets my makeup without looking cakey.

Eye Products: For priming my eyeshadows I used my MAC Paint Pot in 'Painterly' which is basically the perfect base for evening out any discolouration around my eyes and to prolong eyeshadow. For eyeshadow I took my MAC Palette which consists of All That Glitters, Ricepaper, Sable and Satin Taupe. I particularly love Sable for a night out! I took my Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeliner in 'Nude' to brighten up my eye area and my all time favourite mascara Max Factor 2000 Calorie - it's amazing!

Just because I forgot to include it in my brush photo, I use the Eco Tools Eyeliner Brush to fill in my brows and the other is the MAC Short Shader Brush which is great for doing the 'V' on your eye and my Tweezerman eyelash curlers!

Eyebrow Products: My brow colour of choice is my MAC eyeshadow in 'Espresso' which is a great matte brown for dark haired girls. To set my brows, I use the elf Clear Brow Set which does such a good job and it's so cheap!

Lip Products: I kept my lip choices relatively simple, taking only three which is an achievement for me! For daytime, I chose either my MAC Lipstick in 'Lady Bug' which is a sheer red or the Korres Lip Butter in Jasmine. For night time, I wore my favourite red lipstick which is MAC's 'Charmed I'm Sure' from the Marilyn Monroe Collection.

Brushes: Finally, are the brushes I took with me. I kept it simple, taking my Eco Tools Eyeshadow Brush for eyeshadow, Sigma Powder Brush for setting my makeup, Real Techniques Contour Brush for contouring and highlight,  Real Techniques Expert Face Brush for my foundation, MAC 109 Brush for my blush and Real Techniques Setting Brush for concealer and setting powder under my eyes.

So there you have it! If you would like to see any in depth reviews of any of these products please let me know!

Katherine xo

Review: Topshop Celestial - the most beautiful nail polish ever?

Topshop Celestial may just be my all time favourite nail polish. When I first set eyes upon Celestial, I was sure it would be another blue shade far too bright for my pale skin, especially since I've never found a blue that looks nice. However, I was ecstatic to discover that this one is absolutely perfect! A cornflower blue, this is not as harsh as some brighter shades due to the purpley undertone and stands out in the right way.

I've also found the application and finish of Topshop nail polishes to be really great. This particular shade only takes 2 coats to be opaque and leaves a lovely shine to the nails. It lasts around 4 days on my nails (this picture being taken on day 4, hence the slight chip on my thumb!) which I think is a great wear time and at £5, it is definitely worth trying out for yourself! 

Which Topshop polishes do you love? :)

Current Skincare Routine!

Hey everyone :) I thought today I would talk about my current favourite skincare products. For reference, my skin type is normal-combination (dry between my eyebrows and oily on my the tip of my nose) and very sensitive/red. Mainly because of sensitivity, I try to avoid SLS and parabens in my skin care routine as much as possible but do not with all my products, such as make up and I understand there are probably some items in my skincare also that may contain harsh ingredients. Please bare in mind that what products may work for my skin won't work for everybody but it's nice to see recommendations for a skin type similar to your own!

I begin in the evening by using my This Works Clean Skin 5-in-1 Water. This is a great makeup remover for my sensitive skin also. It is scented with rosewater but it is such a light fragrance I barely notice it! It stings my eyes a little bit but really breaks down my make up quickly and efficiently without irritating my skin.

The next step to my routine is cleansing, where I start by using the Avene Extremely Gentle Cleanser morning and night. I'm not entirely convinced that this is my 'holy grail' cleanser as I usually prefer thicker consistencies but it is great for gently cleansing my skin without irritating it and without drying it out. It is also unscented, which is a bonus for those with sensitive skin!

Next up, I use the Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic to tone my skin and remove any excess cleanser I may have on my face. I also love this particular toner for it's calming scent which consists of aloe vera, cucumber and rose-scented geranium. The only slight gripe I have with this product is that it sometimes leaves my skin feeling a bit sticky but this does fade after a few minutes once the product has sunk in.

My current eye cream is the Origins GinZing (warning: there may be a recurring theme of a lot of Origins products!). This eye cream is great for moisturizing my under-eye but other than that, I don't find it does anything amazing for my dark circles. I have this one and the Eye Doctor, also by Origins which I love so I'm actually just trying to use GinZing up to move onto that one as I find it heals any soreness around my eyes as well as brightening my whole eye area overall.

In the morning, I would then use my Origins A Perfect World SPF 25 moisturizer. I find that this product not only brightens my skin and leaves it nourished, but also provides a lovely base for make up if you let it sink in for a few minutes. It is fragranced with White Tea, but I have never had a problem with this irritating my skin.

If I were moisturizing in the evening, I would firstly apply my Caudalie SOS Serum. This is an absolute staple in my routine and definitely one I would repurchase again and again. If you have dehydrated skin or dry patches like I do, this completely hydrates the areas of dryness and plumps up all your skin beautifully! I then apply my night time moisturizer which is currently the Origins Make A Difference Rejuvenating Cream. I'm a bit split on this product as I love the scent but I don't see a massive change in my skin when I use it. I suffer from bad pores on my nose and it may be the silicone's I've heard this product contains that is making them worse!

Finally, products I don't use on a daily basis. Once a week, I tend to use my current face mask of choice the REN Invisible Pores Detox Mask. As I mentioned earlier, I feel so paranoid about my pores and I really find this mask helps to minimize the appearance of them a lot. It's the kind of consistency I love in a face mask which is thick and dries hard so it really feels like it's doing work to your skin. I also use the MAC Volcanic Ash Exfoliator, which I find it great for making my skin really smooth and eliminating any dry patches. Finally, I will also use my Origins Drink Up Intensive overnight 1-2 times a week as I sometimes feel my skin is a little dehydrated and this also seems to help a lot with redness too.

So there you have it, have you tried any of these products and loved them? Also, any recommendations of new products to suit my skin are always appreciated!

Review: Soap & Glory Scrub Em and Leave Em!

Today I thought I'd write a review on one of my holy grail products, Soap and Glory's 'Scrub Em and Leave em'. Although most people seem to talk about their Breakfast Scrub or Sugar Crush, I much prefer clean/fruity scents over sweet ones so this suits me perfectly.

Soap & Glory says the product contains scents of Bergamot, Blackcurrant, Magnolia, Freesia, Vanilla and Musk.  The scrub is formed of sea salt, jojaba (whatever that is!) as well as Mandarin Oil, which you can really pick up on in the scent.

I love this particular scrub not only for the scent, but the way it works at scrubbing away any rough patches of skin whilst moisturizing the area leaving it soft and smooth. I mainly use this on the tops of my arms where I have particularly rough skin and it really helps to improve the look and feel of the area.

In terms of price, it is actual more cost efficient than the most other scrubs by Soap & Glory. If you compare it to the others, the only one better value for money is Flake Away, which is £7.00 for 300ml. This one is £7.50 for the 300ml, whilst others (in particular The Breakfast Scrub which is £9.50 for the same amount!) are 50p or more expensive than this one, or the same price but for 100ml less product.

If you prefer fruity/floral scents, I would definitely recommend smelling this in store and giving it a try. I'm on my third scrub and really don't see myself drifting from it anytime soon!

Katherine xo