beauty tips to my younger self

• A few coats of mascara is enough, you dont need the whole tube.

• Please stick to one foundation preferably something less cakey.. you dont need Rimmel match perfection with dream matte mousse on top!!!

• Foundation lips are not a thing! No not put gloss over it!!

• Go to a salon and get your nails done for prom, dont attempt it yourself, you'll only regret and hide your hands all night!

• I appreciate you blending your foundation and not creating 'slag lines' well done but your fake tan needs to be rubbed in, please ask someone to check it is before you leave the house.

• Mattifying powder is not extra coverage, stop clogging your pores by packing it on over foundation!

• Stop running a mascara wand through your hair to create streaks... stop trying to be cool!

Yes looking back at these things makes me feel very nostalgic and... embarrassed, although my make up skills have improved, leaving these horrid habits in the past woo!

what were your teenage mishaps?

Thanks for reading.

Meg x 

Beauty favourites that tested time

Every month there is hundreds of new beauty products that appear on the market and dont get me wrong I LOVE testing a new product in the works BUT that doesn't mean I forget my originals.

Here I am going to be talking about my oldies but goldies because there are still some products that I cant get over that I first fell in love with.

Lets jump in with a first favourite which is a high-street foundation. Rimmel 25 hour foundation is a lovely foundation however i will openly admit it wont last all day if you are up and about all day, other than that it is a lovely thick base with lots of coverage but still lets through a  natural glow, for those who like the best of both worlds.

Obviously I couldn't write this post without including collection lasting perfection because well it was one of the first concealers I bought and I still use it now. Its thick and creamy, that's all i'm going to say about that, because you should already know!

Rimmel long lasting lip liner, firstly they are retractable which are my fave kind of liners and the creamy texture to them are lovely to apply, these are pretty much the only lip liners I buy!

Estee Lauder sumptuous infinite mascara is a high end product I will always re purchase because its rare for me to find a mascara I love! I was shocked to fall in love with this 2/3 years ago when I realised it had a thin, plastic wand (not normally ma thing) damn was I surprised,  any time my eyelashes are looking on point, I'll be wearing this.

Maybelline falsies mascara, I feel like there was no drugstore mascara before this one, it was a fave for everyone and for everyone who didn't think so, you are doing life wrong. Such a basic mascara with a wand from the heavens that made it work! Obviously i like a bristle wand so that's a plus, but it also has great staying power, the non-waterproof formula stays just as good as the waterproof ones.

Malin and Goetz lip balm, one for all you dry lip lasses. I use this still to this day, lip balm is a thing you have about 100 of and apply constantly because you think its working but more than likely its just sitting on your lips, BUT this one I can actually feel it working even after all these years, minutes after having it one my lips they feel renewed. Also no stick which is what we all want. It has a protective layer which stops it from budging off your lips the second something touches it.

I feel like I have gone on a bit and could go on even more for another few paragraphs, I could.... but I wont for your sake.

Any way I hope you enjoyed my post of products that have got me through from the start of my beauty life and will forever (hopefully) be on this list.

What beauty products have been your day ones? Mwah!

Megan
    X

2017 trends

When a new year comes it comes with a whole load of trends and styles however I think everyone has ran out of ideas and history is repeating its self, what we were forced to wear when we were kids are now part of peoples wardrobes, 90's is very in at the moment but im not sure how long it will last.
Its hard to predict trends and I definitely don't think I could do it as a job but recently over social media and especially runways there's been alot of similar trends that I just know are going to make it to the big brands!

Block colours. I first noticed as soon as the transition to spring started Newlooks spring/summer collection came out and its very hard to ignore. Most of their stock this season is very bright and bold and most pieces are block colour instead of various prints. I found Topshop have also caught on to the late 80's as they have a variety of skirts and cropped jumpers in bold colours. Also rocking the catwalk which will always be okay to wear is floral.

Gloss. Well we had a few good years of a matte lip but we're going back to basics with a simple lip gloss but it looks like lips wont be the only thing wearing it, expect lots of new beauty releases for a glossy eye shadow product.

Natural ombre lips. Some of the bigger brands like Benefit and YSL have already brought out a lipstick with a built in ombre effect and im sure the drugstore/high street brands will follow on. This has been a big thing on Instagram, very natural ombre lips, to enhance the beauty of a natural plump lip some times with a gloss, forget the Kylie Jenner over drawn lip, a subtle shaded lip is being recreated everywhere.

Bushy eyebrows. Again going from one extreme to another of having huge overdrawn lips to a natural lip and perfectly sculpted brow to a bushy brow. So the Cara brow is back but this time its not just big its bushy too. Many videos on social media of people trying to create a huge brow by splitting the hairs, kinda owl-esque, but now it has been seen on various Ad campaigns recreated in their own way.

Wire nails. I am not sure what I think of this one and I don't think it will last very long just like the pierced nails I think it will be a trial and error or a one off.

2016 was a very trend fulfilled year with a lot of glitter, colour and pastel 90's nostalgia, however 2017 is bringing out the colour and going back to basics with some of the classics.

Which is your favourite trend?

Meg x

A pamper before the party

Going out, whether that be with the boyfriend, friends or family is great but what i find is the best part of going on a night out is getting ready before hand, if anything it gets me more excited and i love feeling relaxed and refreshed. A few steps i find a must before i go out:

I tend to do my body first before my hair and face so.. First things first (im a realist) i have to jump in the shower, make sure my body is fully exfoliated with Soap and Glory's Flake away and my legs are hairless, after washing my hair i let most of it naturally dry before blow-drying.

I use Garnier ultimate blends body lotion all over my body before tanning or if i want something thicker i use Soap and Glory's righteous butter especially on my elbows, knees, hands and feet where tan tends to stick a bit more. I tend to use Bondi sands Foam Tan but i sometimes substitute it for St Moritz medium foam rubbing in circular motions with a tanning mitt excluding my face.
 After the majority of my body is dry and the tan has set in, i make sure my toenails are painted, even if im not wearing sandals or peep toes it still makes me feel a bit more put together when my tootsies are painted and it saves me doing it another day.

 If needed i'll wax my eyebrows and upper lip before cleansing my face with my Liz Earle cleanse and polish and then finish my cleansing routine which you can see here. I then apply a gradual tan to my face like the dove face and body Dermaspa summer revived mainly because its a tinted lotion so it works alot better on the face.

  My go to hair style when i go out is big curls, i do love big curl and i create this look really simply with my Nicky Clarke heated rollers and i just leave them in until the rest of me is completely ready and they have fully cooled down.
Lastly i'll do my makeup and after I've done everything i'll do my nails, sometimes i'll just paint them or have acrylics depends what i'm feeling.

I love the feeling of getting all made up it really puts me in the mood to go out and just lifts my spirits, a spritz of perfume and im ready to go.

What extra bits do you do before you go out?
Meg x

classic neautrals

Classic nude spring shades

A few neutral shades to give your look a freshly polished look. Sometimes its
great to pair them with a bold outfit instead of having colour in every aspect of your
outfit.

Nails Inc - Uptown £13.50

Revlon Colourstay gel envy 535 Perfect Pair £6.99

Nails Inc - Alexa Cashmere £13.50

Rimmel Salon Pro 237 Soul Session £4.49

Nails Inc - Basil Street £13.50

Seventeen Gel Colour Mocha-Tini £3.99

A red lip for everyone

A red lip, although can be very daunting to wear its also a great staple all year round, I honestly prefer to wear them in spring time, just coming out of winter when everywhere just gets that bit brighter but not quite hot enough for your peaches and hot pinks.

I think a touch of rouge on your lips can bring such a fresh look to your face especially paired with a subtle glowy make up base. No matter who you are everyone can rock a red lip, you've just got to find your perfect match.. there is no harm in experimenting.

Here's a few red's im going to throw your way to spice up a plain face.

I always think to start of a bold shade you definitely need to line your lips and maybe fill them in before you apply your lipstick.
  There is so many shades of red and finding the best true red for you can be hard.

If you are after more of a Parisian vibe Bourjois' Rouge Edition Velvet red-volution and hot pepper are great ones to try. A post box red goes really well with tanned skin but also can work with lighter tones for some of us pale girls.
 However if you are in to more of a cool toned red, i really like L'oreal Blakes red, its one of my favourites its super smooth and has a lovely scent.
Not to mention all the red lipsticks Mac have such as Lady danger, Redrock and obviously Rubywoo.

After applying, although its not a must i sometimes apply concealer around my lipstick to neaten up the line, red is a very vibrant colour so having that smeared across your face can look a little like your a bit to early for Halloween but with a good lip liner you wont necessarily need to.

Eye shadow pencils

Eye shadows are probably one of my favourite make up products, the world of make up has expanded so much recently that there is so many different forms of each product out there including eye shadows eg. cream, pigments, pencil/crayon, liquid and of course your bog standard powder eye shadow which have extremely upped their game too!

But im talking to you about Eye shadow crayons, which i do love but some times i forget i have. They work great as a base ready for other eye shadows on top or alot of the time i just use one on its own if i just want quite a simple look as its super quick and easy and doesn't take alot of blending.

It is all about finding one that is going to last on your lid and not to make you look like you have wrinkly eye lids. I have tried the Revlon colour stay pencils in the past but i found they weren't very pigmented and i found they were quite harsh on my eyes as they weren't very creamy, saying that i think they might have been discontinued.

These ones i have here have all worked very well for me and ticked all the right boxes:
  They last a very long time on your eye with out creasing, extremely easy to apply and blend down to the smooth texture so its not going to drag on your skin plus they don't loose any of their pigmentation once blended or throughout the day.

Kiko Long Lasting Eye shadow Stick: Probably one of my favourites. They kind of remind me of the By Terry Ombre black-stars because they have a very similar formula and are both retractable however Kiko's version is a fraction of the price.

Nyx jumbo eye pencil: I love the range of colours that Nyx have i don't think they last quite as long as the other both on your eye and they actual pencil itself as i don't think you can roll it up or sharpener it which is the only down fall really else they would be a very good shout!

Rimmel Scandaleyes shadow stick: They don't have as many colours but the ones they do have are lovely paired with another colour to create your look. They aren't as buttery as the others but its not a massive issue as they are still quite smooth saying that they still hold a lot of colour and they won't budge.

Thanks for reading
 Meg x

Battle of the Palettes

I suddenly realised the other day that i have consumed quite a lot of eye shadow palettes over the years, there was quite alot more there than i had thought, i think that is when i was certain that eye shadows are definitely my favourite to collect.

 Although i have a variety or high end and high street palettes, i also have my most used which are clearly my favourites.

I think from these pictures my eye shadow preference is pretty clear as most of them, if not all of them contain: neutrals, browns, bronze, copper, gold, dusty pinks and burgundy shades, mainly because these tones contrast best with my blue eyes (probably why im attracted to them so much) colour wheels don't lie.

My thoughts on these palettes and which is my most used 'go to' palette.. let the battle commence!

  My first palette that i bought was the Urban Decay Naked palette, the first out of the bunch and a very well known palette at that, it may of been my first but some how i sometimes  seem to forget i have it or when creating a look i have other similar shades i prefer to use, hence why it isn't as used as much as it probably should be; saying that i do still use it alot. Containing 12 compatible shades it is very easy to create a simple or more glam look using just a couple of these creamy matte and shimmer shades.

One of the most recent ones i have got bought for Christmas from my mumma, I knew as soon as i saw it i wanted it, being as its a Christmas limited edition im glad i have it, here's why: Ten beautiful shades in which some i don't own anything like, My main reason for falling for this Soap and Glory 'The perfect Ten' palette is down to the third shade Twinkle Belles, a gorgeous champagne shade full of shimmer, perfect to sweep over the lid or to use in a cut crease. This is most likely my second most used palette as of yet.

Another palette which i treasure, because i find it to be such a glamorous palette is the Smash Box Full Exposure palette with 7 Matte and 7 glittery shades. I adore all of the glitter shades; as you probably would too if you've seen them. It has a mixture of bronze tones and smoky shades in both shimmer and matte form to create natural or more extravagant looks. Although the pros are very high, i do find these shadows don't apply as well as some others but the brush it contains does work very well alongside them.

Lastly, I'll admit my favourite palette, the Revolution Ultra Flawless palette, containing 32 unique shades, of which a majority are shimmer shades, great for a more captivating look. Despite being a high street palette it is definitely up there with some of the best ones i have tried, it is a well loved palette... by me anyway, for many reasons; the variety of shades being one (alot of them being the colours i tend to go for) but maybe not a best friend to those who love bright/neon colours or a cooler smoky look, each shade contains great pigmentation without having to coat it over your lids multiple times and the texture is lovely as they are still very buttery and smooth in spite of the fact they do crease a little bit they are still great to use. You can't really go wrong for £8, i highly recommend checking it out, they also have a matte version if that is more your thing! both including a huge mirror.

  What is your winning palette?

Meg x

Products Youtube made me buy / Beauty

I don't normally give in to all the beauty hypes that everyone seems to obsess over unless i instantly get hooked as soon as i see it.
There is a few products that i wasn't too fussed about getting hold of but eventually gave in and here are my thoughts.

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish: A very raved about product but they were not wrong in doing so, also a product i have wanted for a very long time but never got round to buying it. Its a lovely lightweight cream cleanser, it definitely does its job and worth the buy but i do have a few other cleansers i may reach for first however i don't regret buying it as it does leave my skin feeling super soft.

One product that i think everyone has tried at least once as it had such a good turn out for a smaller high street brand. Collection Lasting perfection Concealer, for me since they released that concealer their make up game got that little bit stronger and started bringing out some other really good products. Personally i think its a really good coverage but it doesn't look cakey or crease loads paired with the right powder, the best thing is they even have a pale enough shade for my skin which is normally quite hard to find in a concealer.

On to another concealer that I'm not all to impressed with is Maybelline Eraser Eye concealer, firstly they have very limited shades so unless you're a shade nude or light (meaning the tiniest bit lighter than nude, not light) then you might want to try a different concealer. I have shade light which is a little bit darker than my foundation.. so not really light enough for us ivory chicks. It also has a medium coverage but i don't find it does an awful lot for me.

Urban Decay all nighter setting spray was one hyped up product.. although i kind of went along with this one because i hadn't really heard any bad reviews plus the primer potions work fab, so i thought this might work just as well. Being quite excited when i bought it, it disappointed me as i didn't see a massive different, maybe i used it wrong or something but this product didn't quite do the trick for me. Hence why it isn't in this photo as i gave it away.

Lastly a highlight brighter than the moon, one everyone, their friends and their friends dogs were talking about, even now after its been out for a while. I do to agree with all those people that it is a lovely highlight, maybe a little too powdery for me but it lasts ages and the iridescent glow it gives also lasts all day, it is definitely one of my favourite highlighter, it is quite handy to take with you too as it has quite a big mirror and is very slim.

The Friday Line up // Beauty

This months line up of must have beauty products. A slightly delayed post on my behalf.

This August i have accumulated quite a few new products that i have bought and ended up loving, in which i have probably spend alot of money but in my eyes it is totally worth it because i have discovered new products i may of not of used before. Although they are products that have been out for a while they are products that i have never ventured into trying.

 No7 Gel finish Nail colour- Ginger
I am not really a massive fan of No7 makeup, never the less I decided to try it as No7 is on offer a lot, this shade (Ginger)  is from the new collection that just came out, it is a lovely brick red/brown colour ready for the autumn season that's just around the corner. The gel colour lasts quite a while and doesn't start chipping after a day or two, the colours in the collection are very glossy and rarely need a top up.
MUA Trio eye shadow- Innocence-
Although they are quite small eye shadows they are definitely worth it, they are very pigmented for the price they are, the shimmers are lovely and iridescent, i didn't expect them to be as good as they are for the small price of £2.50, they also apply to the eye very easy and a dream too blend. It includes three shades a white/champagne colour that brightens the eye, a grey toned brown and a dark brown colour with blue flecks going through it: very similar to MAC's Blue Brown Pigment, all shimmer shades.

MUA Undress your skin- Pink Shimmer-
I can not rate this product enough, i didn't want to give in to the hype at first but i wanted a new highlighter and there is nothing better than having one that looks great with a great price tag too.
I finally gave in a bought it in the shade Pink shimmer, it can be a very subtle glow or you can build it up for a gleaming cheek bone, it doesn't leave streaks in your foundation and can look lovely and natural. it has undertones of blue and pink with a pearl base. I'm in love.

Got2Be Happy Hour 24 Hour hairspray
Having long hair is a pain when you have straight hair, i don't know about you but any time i try and curl it, the weight of my hair weighs it down and it stays curly for about 0.5 seconds or it drops as soon as i leave the house, which is quite frankly a pain and a waste of time. This hairspray is pretty much a cure for limp, flat hair without making it rock hard or sticky. It locks the volume and bounce in all day, i have finally found one.

Garnier Pure Active Intensive anti-spot exfoliator scrub
A great product that's made my skin as soft as silk, you only need a small amount to rub in to your face and leave for a few minutes and you feel a cool tingling sensation on your skin, it helps reduce my redness and my skin has never felt so soft, i use this every time i have a shower as the scrub is not too harsh for my face, but you could also use it weekly, a lovely, affordable product.

A few favourites i have been using in august.

Meg x

Liquid Lipstick Loving

                

Every girl has their favourite makeup item, one of mine is lipstick, i think because you can change it up as often as you want an it can create a totally different look.
Sometimes lipsticks can be a tad drying or hard to apply, depending on the formula.

The magic of liquid lipsticks have managed to hop into my favourites and are now one of the main things i use.
Here are some of the liquid lipsticks that are available on the high street and my opinions on which ones are worth buying.

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet  Liquid Lipstick £8.99

These were one of the first lacquers that i bought and definitely in my top three. This collection has lots of lovely colours to choose from and they are all just as pigmented as each other, they have a very smooth, buttery formula which makes them super easy to apply with the angled sponge applicator. They last a reasonable amount of time but not the 24 hours they are advertised to. The brighter colours slightly tint your lips so the colours lasts longer.

Bourjois

Rimmel Provocalips £6.99

This double ended lip combo: both ends with an angled sponge, one to apply liquid lipstick and the other to apply the lip gloss. I have to say the staying power from this formula is surprisingly good however it does make it a little bit drying on the lips if you don't apply the lip gloss before hand to keep your lips moisturised. Again the colours are very vibrant and easy to apply.

L'Oreal infallible 24H Lip Colour £9.99

This lip products are very similar to the Rimmel ones, (it also comes with the lip colour one side and a lip balm the other) however i would choose the Provocalips over this one. as i find the L'Oreal one, although it is a thinner consistency, it tends to dry up slightly and feel a bit sticky.
Although i have not actually wore it for 24 hours i can say there is a chance that is right, as it is a pain to get off which is a blessing but also a curse. A little tip when applying both the L'Oreal and the Rimmel lacquer: if you apply a lip liner before hand i would stick to just lining your lips instead of filling them completely in because it can make the formula a bit thicker and peel off quicker. Also i would not apply a second coat if it starts to fade, unless you remove it first.

Top to Bottom: Nyx, Maybelline, MUA, L'oreal & Rimmel

MUA Luxe Velvet Liquid Lacquer £3.00

The cheapest one of the bunch (price wise). This is the first Liquid Lippy i bought as this combo of lip gloss and lipstick was new to the makeup world so i thought i would just buy a cheap-ish one to see what they were all about. Although it was a low price it isn't a bad quality product as most people would tend to expect. It has a smooth matte texture and a thick consistency, which can be a little drying without a lip balm underneath which can cause it to flake, other than that it last a lot longer than you would think and they're very opaque.

Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid Lipstick £6.99

A very good second! Maybelline has bought out a range of very vivid matte colours. This has now been a very favourite lip colour for me, A thick, velvety texture but still very light weight, very moisturising and doesn't dry out like some of the others. It doesn't last quite as long but it doesn't crease on the lips.
So over all i would recommend this one as i love nearly everything about it, although it could have a better applicator as its straight so its a little harder to apply.


Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream £5.50

Lastly my favourite Liquid Lipstick, A great range of different colours, all matte. A lot like the Maybelline ones, these are very creamy, moisturising and pigmented. You get a great shape with the angled applicator and a lovely sleek look that lasts nearly all day. Great quality for a great price. definitely my favourite high street liquid lipstick.

Whats your favourite liquid lipstick? (highend/highstreet)

Megan x

17

After buying multiple eye-shadow palletes and singles i have realised you don't have to spend loads of money to find a good quality product, yes alot of higher end brands do sell alot of better quality products but that doesn't mean all of them and that also doesn't mean you cant find a very good product or better one in high street stores.

I picked up a few Seventeen single eye-shadows (mainly because i liked the colours) expecting them to be just 'ok' but i can honestly say they are now the main colours that i use.

They don't have many colours in the collection but the ones they do have are lovely shimmery colours, they are so pigmented and last a very long time on the eye.

For a great price of £3.49 i decided to pick up a couple and then after falling in love i went back to buy three more. The shades are very pigmented and bold with some lovely natural shades too.

The colours i picked up are:
Statuesque - a shimmery rose silver shade
Funfair- Baby pink with iridescent shimmers of gold
Rose Quartz- A deep mauve shade (shimmer)
Regal- A deep royal blue with glitter chunks running through
Walnut pearl (my favourite)- Bronze/orange shade that glistens on the lid when the light hits it.

Left to right: Statuesque, funfair, Rose Quartz

Regal and walnut Pearl

They have a really nice texture, the lighter shades have a very smooth texture, where as the brighter colours are a bit more powdery, they are all very easy to blend and do not crease.


If you are starting out with makeup or if you want to find some cheaper eye shadows for an alternative to higher end brands, i would really recommend Seventeen as a brand specially for their single eye shadows.

Whats your favourite high street eye shadow?

Meg x