April 2014 Favourites!

With Spring officially here and the sun shining more, we are already quarter of the way through 2014. This month I've been so busy working but with a few bank holidays and Easter happening it has also been nice to have a few days for rest and relaxation. Here are the products and things which have made April awesome.

Beauty/Makeup

Revlon Colorburst Balm:

Whilst I was out shopping with two of my friends at the start of the month, we realised that Boots had a 3 for 2 offer on all of their makeup. After deciding to buy three lip products, one of my friends recommended to me the Revlon colorburst balms which I had never used before. I actually ended up buying two of them and ever since I have loved using them. I bought two matte shades, one pink and one deep red, and they look amazing. They also smell like mint which I was surprised at when I first got them but since then I have loved the scent. They are great if you are looking for a crayon- styled lip product which hasn't got the common sweet vanilla scent to them. The mint in these makes your lips feel so fresh and hydrated and is certainly a nice change. 

Maybelline Colorsensational lipstick:
As well as the Revlon balms I also picked up a lipstick from the Maybelline Colorsensational range. I had previously picked up two others and loved them so much I wanted to expand my collection. These lipsticks are so pigmented, hydrating and they have a lovely range of colours. I personally find it quite hard to find a red lipstick that I think suits me and in this range I think I've fallen in love with all of the reds. I've even got my eye on a coral shade for the summer which is something totally different to what I would usually buy. These are also so affordable and the packaging is amazing. The tube is a different colour plastic depending on the shade of lipstick you buy and are similar to the Revlon ones in terms of packaging although I am yet to try them.


Sleek Au Naturel Eyeshadow Palette:
My final makeup favourite is a product that has been kept away in my drawer since January. Before using this product I was going to invest in some new decent eye brushes as I thought it would make the end product better. Oh how I regret waiting this long to use this product. It is the Au Naturel eyeshadow palette from Sleek. I've still not got any new brushes but I decided to try using the palette with my old ones and I have been loving the results. The palette I got is a mixture of both matte and shimmery shades, all of which are wearable everyday and in the evening time. I plan on writing a full review on this palette because it has changed the way I do my makeup, especially when I am getting ready for a night out.

Fashion

New Look Heels:

As a treat to myself towards the end of the month I decided to buy myself yet another pair of shoes. However this time I was rather sensible and decided that I actually needed a new pair of shoes to wear on a night out because I actually don't have many of these in my wardrobe. When I saw these black suede platform sandals on the shelf I knew they would be coming home with me. They cost £30 and are actually surprisingly comfortable. I wore them recently on a night out and managed the whole night in them (which included dancing, stairs and walking to a nightclub down a hill from the pub) which is very good for me. They came off just when we were leaving the club because it would have taken around 4 hours to get home but I still call it a success. When they are fully broken in they will be even better!
Gap Checked Shirt:

This shirt from GAP  would have been in my December, January, February and March favourites purely because I have been wearing it so much since I got it for Christmas. I don't usually shop in GAP but picked this shirt up in one of their sales for just £14.99 (reduced from £30) and it is probably the most comfortable and best looking shirts I've bought. I love that it is long sleeved and I love the checked pattern. I probably won't get as much wear from it in the summer but when Autumn and Winter comes around again I'm sure it will make another appearance.



New Look Blazer:

My final fashion favourite this month has been my New Look blazers. At the end of last month I purchased a bright red one from New Look and have been regularly wearing it for both casual and evening occasions. It is of a great quality, with a cream lining and is a great shape and flatters my figure. I have loved this so much that I went back and bought the same one again in a mint green colour and these two have been the main thing that I've been wearing this month. I've found them to be so versatile, pairing them with plain tops and also printed logo tops as well. They also brighten up an otherwise dull outfit and with the sun shining a bit more they just make you feel happy and confident whilst you are wearing them. If the bright colours aren't for you, New Look are also stocking a navy version which is also very appealing.
Food/Drink

Sweet Potato Fries:
This month I have been absolutely loving sweet potato. Whenever I have been out for dinner, I have always scanned the menu for sweet potato fries and have ordered when they have been there. I've preferred them over ordinary fries this month and I'm hoping to make some home-made ones myself or use sweet potato more when cooking in my own home.
Ben & Jerry's Half Baked Ice Cream:
This month I have also gone through a stage of craving ice cream. In particular at the start of the month Morrisons had a deal on all Ben & Jerry's costing only £2.15 for 500ml. This was great because it usually costs nearly £5 and so it was a great bargain. I have been especially loving the half baked flavour, which is half cookie dough and half chocolate fudge brownie which has been very addicting.
Disarronno:
My final food and drink favourite this month has been Disaronno. This is an alcoholic beverage and so should only be consumed if you are of the legal drinking age but this has been amazing. When mixed with Coca Cola it tastes exactly like Dr Pepper and because of this it is so easy to drink too much of it. It has been my drink of choice whilst out too and also it is slightly more expensive than some of the other spirits it is worth it. Some places do make it extremely strong though so make sure you like the taste of Amaretto before you order one. Served best with ice and lime!

Music

The Vamps:
Ever since I discovered The Vamps on YouTube last summer, I have been regularly listening to both their original songs and also their covers. I especially loved their performance in the Radio 1 Live Longue and their cover of Jason Derulo's 'Trumpets.' They have also recently released their debut album and I'm looking forward to listening to it. I've heard a few songs from it so far and some of my favourites are 'Somebody to You' and 'Last Night.'
Radio 1:
I've been a big fan of Radio 1 for years now, but I went through a phase where I found I wasn't listening the station as much. However this month I've rediscovered my love for the station and have been regularly listening to the shows throughout the day. I've noticed that they play a lot of different music too so I've been getting into some music that I wouldn't have discovered otherwise. My favourite shows include Fearne Cotton, Greg James, The breakfast show with Grimmy and Dan & Phil on Sunday evenings from 7pm.

Films/TV

Formula One:
The Formula One season is officially back and we are already 5 races into the season. I have loved watching qualifying sessions and the races once again although there have been some early mornings and falling asleep during races involved after being out the night before. With a huge change in the regulations and the introduction of V6 'power units' the field seems to be much closer together apart from if you are Hamilton or Rosberg in the Mercedes, which has won every single race so far. Hamilton has just wrapped up his 4th win in a row and has made British Formula One history by becoming the most successful British driver in history for the most pole positions. We are now moving into the European part of the season, which sees the drivers and teams visit some of my favourite tracks and I'll be excited to see if Mercedes can continue their dominance and whether or not McLaren can become more competitive.

Random

New Car:
When I started my new job last year, the first thing that I decided to save up for would be a new car. Although there is nothing wrong with my 2003 Ford Fiesta I just fancied a change and had my eye on one of the new Ford Fiestas for a while. Originally I wasn't going to buy a brand new car but as it turned out it was cheaper for me and more practical to take the plunge. I ordered the car at the end of March and have been so excited for it to arrive. I went for the colour 'Frozen White' and had privacy glass added to the rear windows and had parking sensors fitted to the back of the car because it wasn't going to affect the price of the car too much.

Ear Piercings:
Throughout the month of April I have been nursing and taking care of two new piercings. One Saturday me and my friends visited a local piercer and I decided to perhaps stupidly get three at the same time. I already had my lobes pierced once, but wanted them pierced again so had one in each ear followed by having my tragus pierced on my left ear. At the time it was painful and I almost fainted but now that they are healing I've found myself wanting more. I love my new piercings and definitely don't regret them.

 

Face Of The Day: Alternative Makeup

Over the past few weeks I've been a bit more adventurous and experimental with my makeup. I thought I would share with you how I achieved this look.

These are all the products that I used to create this look, and although some are the same as my typical look, I've been trying to use the different products which are in my collection and rotate what I use.

Firstly I start off with my favourite foundation, the Colour Adapt in Natural from Max Factor. Once I find a foundation I love, I find it hard to persuade myself to try out new stuff just in case it isn't as good as my current one. I apply this to my face with a foundation brush, making sure it is fully blended.

I've noticed that the flash I used whilst taking these photos has made my face really pale. Anyway, this is my face once the foundation has been applied and blended.

Next I use the Helen E concealer, the yellow side of the compact, and apply this underneath my eyes to conceal any dark circles. If I have any big blemishes I also use the brown side to cover these up and then I set my base by using the Max Factor Creme Puff powder in translucent. 

My face after the concealer and powder stages

I featured this palette in my 'What's in my makeup bag?' post and explained that I had got this from the Clothes Show Live a few years ago. I don't actually think you can buy this anymore which is a shame because I have loved using the blush and bronzer from this palette. 

When I am applying the bronzer and blusher from this palette I usually take a blush brush and mix the two colours together on the brush. I then apply this to the apples of my cheeks as well as in the hollows of my cheeks very slightly. This product is quite shimmery so is different from my Sleek products, and isn't as pigmented but still gives a nice glow to your skin.

Face after the bronzer/blusher

Similarly to my typical makeup look, I use this eyeshadow quad to fill in my eyebrows and to apply some eyeshadow to my lids. I have no idea where this quad came from but it is so lovely and I will definitely miss it when it runs out.
  I start my using a small brush (shown above) to fill in my brows using the dark brown shade in the bottom right of the quad. To then define my brow bone, using the other brush I use the top left shade and apply it just below the brow. Finally using the shading brush I take the top right colour and apply this all over my lids.  

Filled in brows and eyeshadow applied

My go-to pencil liner at the moment is this little beauty from Max Factor. I am getting near the end of this product so will either have to go back to my other liners or purchase a new one soon. Anyway, I take this kohl pencil in black and use it to line my waterline as shown below.

Face after pencil liner

Now usually if this was my typical look I would use liquid liner to line my lash line, but for this look I do it a bit different. Instead of liquid liner I take the same kohl pencil and carefully line my lash line. I then take this shading brush made by Model's Own and carefully, without poking myself in the eye, blend the liner.
  It creates a softer line across the lashline and also blends nicely with my eyeshadow to create a different look. Sometimes if I've applied too much kohl I will just get the eyeshadow out again and apply some more to lighten up the look. 

Face after blending

To finish off the eyes I reach for my favourite mascara, Falsies by Maybelline and apply a couple of coats to both my top and bottom lashes. 

Eyes finished

For the lips I decided to go for something quite bright and fresh to finish the look. After wearing the Kate Moss for Rimmel lipsticks a lot recently I decided to go back and use this beautiful pink shade from The Body Shop. It is shade 57 and called 'Pink Flirt' and as suggested by the name it is a lovely pinky shade. What I love most about this lipstick is that you can build up the colour depending on how bright you want it to be. 

Finished look

As the lipstick is really hydrating I don't add lipgloss to this look. After this stage, the look is finished. This usually takes me about 10-15 minutes to do completely and I what I also love about this look is that it doesn't take as much effort to remove as the kohl pencil liner comes off much easier than liquid liner. 

Get Ready With Me: A Typical Everyday Look

If you are like me and wear makeup almost everyday, you soon get into a routine and find that you have a 'typical' or 'trademark' makeup look which you go to regularly. Today I thought that I'd go through my typical everyday look and show how it is achieved. From start to finish, it usually takes me around 40 minutes to get ready, although I do speed it up and can get the process down to about 20 minutes if I'm in a hurry. I can also drag this process out, and usually do if I am going on a night out because I don't like to feel rushed when getting ready.

So to start with I firstly shower and wash my hair. Currently I am using the orange and satsuma shower gel from Superdrug's own brand to wash myself which is really refreshing and awakening and I am using the TRESemme platinum strength shampoo and conditioner which I've found to have improved my hair since I started using it. 

After my shower I then brush my teeth with my pink oral-b toothbrush and the colgate cavity protection toothpaste. I'm not really that fussy when it comes to toothpaste and so I just use whatever is in the bathroom at the time. 

Once I've brushed my teeth I then go back into my bedroom and towel dry my hair. Once I have got rid of all the excess water I tie my hair up in a loose bun to keep it out of my face. I then start the base of my makeup, including foundation, concealer and blusher, bronzer, eyeshadow and my eyebrows. As I have a side fringe it's much easier to do these stages before I dry my hair but I can't do my full eye makeup as I find my eyes run whilst I am drying my hair. 

   To start off my makeup I apply the Max Factor Colour Adapt foundation in natural using a foundation brush, making sure that I blend it all in evenly. I then apply the Helen E concealer (yellow side) to underneath my eyes to cover up any dark circles. If I have any particularly noticeable blemishes or spots I use the brown side of the compact to cover these up. 

My face after applying the foundation and concealer 

The next stage in my daily routine is to apply a face powder before contouring and applying blusher. For the powder I am currently using the Max Factor Creme Puff powder in translucent and I use this to simply set my base and not to add too much colour to my face. Then I use the sleek contour kit in light to subtly contour my cheekbones using the powder and highlighter. I don't contour my nose because I don't feel the need to, although Sleek does show you how to do this as well.
  I finish off my face by applying the Sleek blush in Flamingo to the apple of my cheeks. This stuff is really highly pigmented so I don't have to put much on my blush brush. I also don't apply too much because I want to keep my look natural and not too over the top.  

My face after foundation, concealer, powder, contouring and blusher

The next stage in my makeup is to fill in my eyebrows and apply some eyeshadow to my lids. My eyebrows are already quite thick and are shaped on a regular basis so I just use a thin brush to fill in any gaps and make them appear a bit stronger.
  The second brush I use is a shading brush from Models Own and I use this to sweep some eyeshadow onto my lids, as I only usually apply one colour in an everyday look. 

I have no idea what brand or where this quad came from, but I love the neutral colours in it. When this runs out I will have to try and find similar shades because I am loving using this at the moment. I use the bottom right colour which is a dark brown for my brows and then use the top right to shade my lids. 

My face with the finished base along with filled brows and eyeshadow

I then move away from my makeup and focus on drying and sorting out my hair. I leave the rest of my eye makeup until afterwards as my eyes have a tendency to run. I start my hair routine by brushing through it with my tangle teezer brush and apply a heat protective spray. I then use a hairdryer to blow dry my hair, making sure I also get my parten in the correct place. 

Once my hair is dry I usually just brush through it once more using my tangle teezer brush and then leave it. Over the past few months I've cut down on the use of my straighteners and I've noticed that my hair is in a much better condition. 

Once my hair is complete I then move back to finish off my makeup. I firstly line my lower waterline with the Max Factor Kohl pencil in black.

My face after applying the Max Factor Kohl pencil in black

Once I've applied the pencil eyeliner to the bottom of my eyes, I take the Rimmel Glameyes liquid liner and use this to line my eyelids, as close to the lashline as possible. I then use a small amount and go over the pencil liner that I had done previously, which just makes it last that little bit longer. I usually do a small flick at the outer corner of my lashes to create the cat-eye effect and the size of this usually varies day to day. 

My face after pencil and liquid liner

I finish off my eyes using the Maybelline Falsies mascara in black drama and usually apply a couple of coats to my top lashes. I also find the brush is easy to use for the bottom lashes as well so I apply just one coat here. I find mascara really finishes off the look and opens the eyes up. 

Finally, the last stage in my makeup is to apply a lip product. Usually during the day I like to go for a natural looking shade which isn't too bright. I've recently brought some lipsticks from the Kate Moss for Rimmel collection and so I've been wearing these alot. My favourite at the moment is the shade 08, which is a pinky colour and I think perfect for autumn. They are really hydrating as well so I don't feel the need to apply lipgloss over the top. 

Kate Moss for Rimmel lipstick in 08

The finished look

Once I have finished my hair and makeup I then get changed into the outfit that I will be wearing during that day. This way I know I won't accidentally get makeup on me. This is my typical look and although it can take about 40 minutes to complete, I don't think that it is too extensive. I personally really like this makeup look, but over the past few weeks I have been trying to experiment with different looks as well. 

Review: Maybelline Falsies Mascara

During my recent shopping trip, I purchased a new mascara as I thought that it was time for a change from using the Rimmel Scandal Eyes mascara. Although there is nothing wrong with the mascara itself, I like to change and experiment with new products and this is one which I have never previously used.

Maybelline Falsies Mascara

The first thing that attracted me towards this particular mascara was that my sister had recommended it to me. She has been using it for about a month now and she really likes using it. I also really liked the packaging for the product and I find the curved tube much easier to hold when applying the product. 

  The product is also considerably cheap for what it is. It cost me £7.99 from Boots and this is considerably cheaper than some of the other brands out there at the moment. 

Whilst applying this product I found the consistency really lovely. The mascara was not clumpy and the wand had a considerable amount of product on it without having too much. I find that it evenly coats the lashes and makes them look much longer and more voluminous. I also found that I didn't need to apply multiple coats and it didn't smudge or go onto the top of the eyelids.

 The brush is also slightly curved so it subtly curves your eyelashes as well, which adds to the 'falsies' effect of the mascara. I've found that I can even use this mascara to coat my bottom lashes as well, without getting excess product on my under-eye area. 

  All in all I am very impressed with this particular mascara and like my sister I would recommend this to anybody looking for a new mascara to try out.