UNIVERSITY | Finding a Balance

Through the ages of high school and college, parents would moan and moan... and moan at you for not doing enough work or even doing none. Though as I've had to find out, university is a whole other ball game. This time round, it's not testing your strength and patience with pesky parents, but your self effort and will power to actually get up before 10am and go to lectures that you're not even registered in. 

Dream Flawless Nude VS Nude Magique

There are no excuses for my extended absence other than... uni? 

I digress. Quickly.

Something I must point out first and foremost is that I hate the feeling of foundation, or just having an unnatural layer caked over the top of my skin. If my complexion decides on being nice that day then concealer all the way, but if needs be then a light mattifying coverage is the way to go (being an oily t-zone sufferer). Hence when L'oreal released their Nude Magique foundation, heaven opened up in the aisles of Boots. However, a host of brands have been releasing their own take on the liquid to powder formula, including more recently, the more budget friendly Maybelline. So a comparison post was deemed to be inevitable.

A Few Autumn Beauty Picks

So my break from blogging was somehow unintentionally extended, but lets just pretend I never left shall we...

As much as I loved summer, I found myself starting to ache for those darker autumnal hues and the opportunity to whack out Rebel or Diva (MAC fiends will relate). So when september finally made an appearance, I got a little too excited about the fact that my staples would soon do a complete 180.

Want Maleficent CheekBones?

If it wasn't astoundingly obvious already, content on here has been a little.. sparse? non existent. Though my first exam is looming in less than a week, this discovery was enough to pull me out of my revision depths and realise my desperate blogging itches. 

I will admit, I'm a complete contour fiend. Anything that claims to work wonders with the hollows makes an automatic dash to the top of my extremely long wish list, but of course this bearing the name 'Sculpt' had me running for the hills...towards the nearest MAC counter. 

Eyeliner 101

Now I did pre-warn on a previous post that content would be sparse in the next two months due to A levels, but a whole week... Is that dust starting to form on here? I couldn't avoid my blogging itches any longer so let us begin with a simple question...

What is a world without eyeliner? Certainly a place with smaller eyes, thats what. Eyeliner has and always will be a not so secret weapon in any girl's make up bag and the variety on offer makes for an endless list of options.

BUDGET BEAUTY: Ebay Brushes

I may have been a little impatient with trying them before taking pictures, so please excuse the ratchet looking brushes...

I've been looking into buying a few new brushes for a while, but didn't particularly fancy spending £100 on a sigma set. I had heard a few good reviews on brushes from Ebay in the past, but was always a little skeptical on the quality. Though whilst having a general browse through, this set caught my eye being just £14.99 and looking pretty substantial. 

Lets Talk Taupe

Matte, grunge-y smoked eyes have been somewhat of a 'go to' recently, and taupe's been a shade that has helped to achieve the seemingly effortless look. I can only really describe taupe as being a grey toned brown? ... brown toned grey? Either way, Drugstores have been releasing a host of variations, and I am hooked. 

Top 5 Spring Nail Picks 2014

With spring come the pastels, and oh how I love the continuous trend. If you live in the not so sunny UK (like myself), sun doesn't really make an appearance till around June so till then, coats are still a tiring staple. A Pastel offering is but a way to still celebrate spring without attempting a day without the coat and thoroughly regretting the awful decision. 

MONTHLY FAVOURITES: March

Cheryl's Nude Lipstick Swatch

So this month has been hecka exciting; I finally turned the big 18 and can now do... well just about anything! To celebrate, I had a house party with friends and a big family dinner the day after.

Unfortunately, blogging is gradually going to be taking a bit of a back seat for these next 2 months as my once seemingly free schedule is being invaded by revision for A levels. It makes me toes curl in disgust just typing it. Of course I will still be posting, it'll simply be a little less frequently.

Bleurgh, anyway enough with that, on with the favourites!

REVISION: Tips and Tricks

Since this little space on the internet consists of everything from my interests, activities and general chat; I figured even the most laborious of tasks currently consuming the majority of my free time needed to have its shining glory.

Everyone hates studying. Fact. But it's a part of our lives that we unfortunately (as much as we try) can't avoid. Now, I've been attempting to grasp the concept of studying for eh... a while, and so I thought it be time to share what I've found works for me, and what hopefully could work for you.

nspa: Affordable Skincare

Generally, I find that if you take reasonably good care of your skin, then you will find yourself spending way less on foundations attempting to cover the countless impurities. Of course not all can be avoided, its a part of being human at the end of the day, but whether it be your diet, products you use, or even general hygiene; all these factors play a key role in the condition of your skin. 

After writing and reading through, I do realise it sounds an awful lot like a sponsored post... but its not. 

Emergency Shoe Purchases

I wouldn't personally count myself a shoe hoarder as such... in fact, if I get my hands on a versatile pair that will last me most days, then I'd rather spare the extra 5 minutes attempting to match 10 different options to an outfit. Unfortunately, I had a sole disaster whilst roaming the grounds of topshop and my beloved ankle boots had finally popped it's poor sole clogs. It was simply unacceptable to walk out knowing that my shoes were a wreck, and so my only option was to quickly pick out a pair and slip them on once exiting the pay point. Of course, I was pretty lucky that my shoes chose topshop to say its final goodbyes as the new offerings were already luring me in.

I'm 5'2 so as you can imagine, my first port of call was a stable heel that could be worn fairly casually. I figured the black boots above were quite trainer-esque with the lace ups making it casual, whilst providing me with a tad more height. Since the sun is yet to become a constant element, a warmer foot option is indeed still needed.

Finally, everyone needs a trusty pair of flats. With spring coming into play in the next month or two, I wanted to feel somewhat prepared for the odd sunnier day. The nude/pink tone suits just about any ensemble and adds a light freshness.

The Science Behind Beauty: 5 Chemicals To Avoid

Though a love for beauty is somewhat obvious, I quickly took an interest soon after in the key ingredients that make up our beloved holy grails, and how certain chemicals can make an extensive difference ... good or bad. 

I've now gotten into the habit of checking the seemingly endless list of ingredients to try and spot the nasties, sparking warning signs. 

**Le slips on the nerd glasses**

Make Up On The Run

When being forced into having to apply make up on the run, both convenience and speed are key. Here are the immediate 'throw into bag' products when in a rush, but still wanting to look somewhat put together.

Maybelline BROWdrama: The BROWsaviour

If it wasn't obvious previously, I have a not so sneaky obsession with brows. If you're at all interested  in my reasoning as to why, then I will link the shpeel here. I know this product isn't exactly a recent release, but I felt a need to express my undying love to it for vastly improving my brow routine.. and my eyebrows in general. 

THOUGHTS: Rimmel ScandalEyes Shadow Paints

L - Golden Bronze | R- Rich Russet 

It's near impossible to resist temptation when a youtuber or blogger is fawning over a product and unfortunately... or not so unfortunately in my case, a lot of my sporadic purchases are as a result of reading or watching one too many videos or blog posts; this particular purchase being a prime example.  

MONTHLY FAVOURITES : February

I always seem to forget how fast the month of february goes, and before you know it, I'm conjuring up my list of products that make the cut for the months favourites. This month has revolved around looking put together with minimal effort required, and boy have I mastered that technique these 4 weeks. 

THOUGHTS: Charles Worthington Texturising Spray

Now I'm not really one to slather products onto my hair very often. However, being the owner of waist length, pin straight hair certainly does not do me any favours in the volume department. So I will do just about anything to give my hair a bit of a lift. 

Deborah Lippmann | SPRING REVERIES | Spring 2014

*PR Sample

Pastels make their mark just about every spring, and this year is certainly no different. Deborah Lippmann has released six fabulously opaque polishes in the Spring Reveries collection; all of which I'm dying to get my hands on! 

THOUGHTS: Revlon Colourburst Matte Balms

'Mischievous' - LEFT | 'Complex'- RIGHT

Ah the humble crayon. As much as I adore the flexibility of the concept, I simply wasn't head over heels in love with the continuous glossy formula that was being released alongside it. However, Revlon have once again answered my somewhat silent prayers and finally released a matte offering.