Starting My Mac Palette

One thing that always bothers me about buying eyeshadow palettes is the fact that more often than not, there's at least one or two shades that I don't like or never end up using. Don't get me wrong, I love the palettes I have but it's so difficult to find one where I love absolutely every shade and will use them all on a regular basis. That's why I decided to start my own Mac palette. I love the idea of having something completely customisable, giving me the ability to swap colours in and out as I need. It's also going to eventually be full of shades that I will wear all the time that I have hand picked and organised myself. I'd never really looked at the eyeshadows in Mac as naturally I gravitate towards the blushers and lipsticks but I now completely understand the hype and I am 100% on board.

My Weight Loss Journey

Before I start this post I just want to say that I am in no way, shape or form an expert in diet or exercise. I am simply a young girl who has tried many a different diet over the past few years, who has constantly tried to lose a few extra pounds and would like to share a few of the tips and tricks that have helped me remain motivated. I've always had an hourglass figure, carrying extra weight on my thighs, bum and chest whilst remaining pretty small around my waist. A lot of people I spoke to would have said that I didn't need to lose weight at all but it was something that I wanted to do, it was something that would make me happier and healthier in myself. I don't think that anyone should lose weight if they don't want to, if you're happy in yourself then I think that's a wonderful thing. We all come in different shapes and sizes and we're all beautiful. We all deserve to be happy in ourselves but for me one way of doing that and regaining my confidence, was to lose a few pounds.

Christmas Face Of The Day

I don't know about you but I've had my Christmas Day makeup planned for at least two weeks now. What can I say... I'm organised (or just mad, I'll let you decide). This will be the first year that I'm going all out with my makeup, normally you'll find me bare faced in my pyjamas but since we're having lots of family and friends round and possibly off visiting others, I thought I'd make a special effort. I wanted something that was going to give me a flawless finish, last all day and still be massively festive. So a gold eye and red lips was the obvious choice for me!

White Chocolate & Malteaser Cheesecake

When it comes to baking, I tend to stick with what I know, mainly cupcakes and cakes of some sort as the flavours are so easy to mix up and decorating is always fun. But for Christmas I wanted to try out something a little different, as I'm personally not a fan of the usual Christmas dessert options like mince pies, Christmas pudding or Christmas cake. Having not made a cheesecake in years, I thought it was time to try one out again This recipe is super easy to follow and make, mainly consisting of just mixing up ingredients, whacking them in a cake tin and leaving them to set. No baking involved whatsoever!

Festive Lips, Cheeks and Eyes

It's officially party season and what better time to crack out the super shimmery eyeshadows, glitter, intense highlight and red lips. If you're anything like me, you'll already have your Christmas day makeup planned. (Is it way too early?) But I wanted to put together a few different bits that I think will work across the festive season up until the New Year, including some adorable antlers from Asda. how cute are these? They're a nice festive addition for parties for those of you who don't feel like going the whole hog with a Christmas jumper.

Makeup Geek Haul | Review & Swatches

I'll be the first to admit that when I heard Makeup Geek were being released on Beauty Bay, I went a litttttle bit crazy. And when I say crazy I mean I originally thought I'd fill a medium Z Palette and then ended up having to order the large which I seem to have nearly filled already. My bad! This is the result of combining dissertation procrastination and late nights. All the shadows I have were bought from 3 separate orders, basically whenever they were back in stock and I could get my hands on some, I went for it.

Soap & Glory Makeup | Review

Though I have a few of their beauty products, when I think of Soap & Glory the first thing that comes to mind isn't necessarily their makeup. The mind tends to jump towards shower gels and body butters before it does pressed powder and eyeliner, despite the fact that the majority that I've tried from them are wonderful for the price. I've gathered up my little collection of products from them to tell you what I would recommend and what I wouldn't buy again.

Keeping That Summer Glow

Even though we're moving into Winter now, I still like to do everything I can to keep my ghost like skin looking bronzed and tanned from top to bottom. I've pulled a few bits and pieces from my collection that I use to give my complexion that instant boost of colour that it needs without looking like I've been completely tangoed.

Kate Moss by Rimmel Lipsticks

If you can't afford to splash out on lipsticks from brands like Mac then it's always nice to have a good drugstore alternative. My go to brand since I was young has always been Rimmel. I remember wearing the shade 016 Heart Breaker from their Lasting Finish range religiously when I was in college (that might have something to do with it being pretty much the only lipstick I owned at the time, boy how things have changed). My favourites in particular are the lipsticks in the Kate Moss collections. There's a really nice range of colours and finishes for everyone, and at just £5.49 a pop, they really are great value for money. I've gathered all mine together to show you!

Things To Do This Winter

For my first December blogging, I decided that I want to up my posts to every other day from the 1st to the 25th, it's sort of my attempt to do Blogmas without completely bogging myself down. If I didn't have a dissertation to write, pints to pour and projects to finish, I'd probably push myself to post every day. But unfortunately, life gets in the way sometimes. I've still got a ton of festive posts coming your way, with all sorts covering beauty and lifestyle. The first thing I wanted to do was something a little bit different for me, a list of things to try out or do this Winter season.

My Simple Winter Skincare

It's safe to say that when it comes to skincare, my routine is extremely lacklustre. I've never had an in depth routine full of dozens of products because in all honesty, I don't feel like my skin needs it. When I was younger I experimented with facial scrubs and moisturisers and just found that if anything they made my skin worse and left me with more breakouts than when I started. That's when I decided to keep it extremely simple and that's what works for me. It also saves me spending an arm and a leg on products that I might not necessarily like. As I get older I would like to experiment and invest in some more skincare but for now this is what I used on a regular basis and what works wonders for my skin.

NARS One Shocking Moment Palette | Review

Far be it for me to try and resist a blush palette, especially one from NARS that features four blushers, Laguna bronzer and two contour shades. This latest offering from NARS comes from their Steven Klein collection, a collaboration with the famous photographer that has resulted in a range of beautiful and playful products. The design of these products is a massive selling point to me, the One Shocking Moment is no exception, incorporating incredibly quirky fashion photography on the front, think high end avant garde fashion. It makes a fantastic addition to any dressing table! And as if the outside wasn't enough, the inside is even more spectacular.

Christmas Gift Guides

Christmas shopping can be really difficult if you don't know where to start. Me and my sister are so similar that I could spend hundreds picking bits up for her because they're normally bits I like too, but I find it particularly difficult to shop for the men in my family. It's always made even harder by just getting a "don't know" when you ask what they want. (JUST TELL ME SOMETHING!). It's the same for me too, as I've got older I find it a lot harder to make a list of things that I want without handing over a massive list of lipsticks, eyeshadow palettes and blushers. Gone are the days of sitting with an Argos catalogue and cutting out the pictures of all the toys I wanted to send off to Santa. With a month or so left until the big day I thought I'd throw together a few ideas for those of you who may be struggling, with a little something for everyone, from the beauty obsessives to the gadget lovers and a price to suit everyone's budget. Here are a few of my picks for Christmas presents this year! (I have a feeling this might be a long post, brace yourselves.)

Blogs I'm Loving

One of my favourite parts of blogging is connecting with other people who share the same passion for writing as I do and though I'd been reading blogs long before I started my own, I didn't realise just how amazing and supportive this community was. I've spoken to so many amazing people in the short amount of time that I've had this little corner of the internet and I love how everyone is so willing to share the love, whether that be by commenting on a post, following on social media or leaving a message on Twitter to tell someone you enjoy their blog. I've never met such encouraging and supportive people, so I thought it was my time to share the love by telling you about a few of the blogs I've been loving recently. 

Go Customized Phone Case | Review*

Being an Android user, it can be really difficult to find phone cases that I like. Sure, there's cases for most phones out there if you look hard enough but you can end up paying an arm and a leg or the case itself is just plain boring or awful. I've lost count of the amount of times I've stared longingly at the cases on places like Skinnydip London and wished they made cases for a wider range of phones. So when I was contacted by GoCustomized, a company of Dutch origin, and asked if I would like to collaborate with them on a post, I couldn't say no! Especially after seeing that they have a huge range of cases for pretty much every make and model you could imagine. On their website they have a massive range of personalised phone cases and other gadget accessories to choose from, so you're bound to find something to suit your needs.

Thank You NARS

Everything I've tried from NARS, I've loved. Their Deepthroat blush is in my all time favourites and my most recent purchase from them, the One Shocking Moment palette, is an absolute dream. They're one of those brands that although on the pricey side of things, always nail it with their products and make me feel like I'm really getting something luxurious and quality. So I'm sure you can imagine my excitement when a message popped up in my Instagram recently from NARS, asking for my details so they could send me a thank you gift for being a loyal #NARSISSIST. I had to double check and then check again that it wasn't some sort of hoax or joke and had really come from their official account before I scrambled to send along my details. I even checked again in the morning that it hadn't been some sort of dream. 

Let's Talk Eyeshadow Palettes

It's only within the last month or so that I've really gotten into wearing eyeshadow on a regular basis, despite having a couple of really beautiful palettes at my disposal. I guess it was a combination of the time it takes in the morning coupled with the worry of looking like I've been punched in the eye that stopped me delving further into the world of crease colours, blending and smoky eyes. I can't wait to start expanding my collection and really jumping into and experimenting with loads of different colours and styles. But for now, here's a look at the three eyeshadow palettes that I've kept stored away in my drawers until recently as well as a few of my favourite shades from each.

My Top 5 Brushes

Despite using and owning a multitude of different brushes, I actually found it very easy to pick just five brushes that I couldn't live without. Firstly I can completely go without eye brushes. I don't really wear eyeshadow on a day to day basis anyway and I've found that hands can be your greatest tools. Though if I were to pick one it would be some sort of fluffy blending brush, Zoeva have some wonderful ones. Anyway, these are the brushes that I always return to and most have some sort of multipurpose aspect to them.

Night In Essentials

As much as I love going out with my closest and friends and getting absolutely "mortal", (though I really can't hack the hangovers anymore), there's nothing I love more than spending a relaxing night in with my favourite films, foods and pampering supplies. I will admit that this post was entirely influenced by the above bath bomb as it's one of the most spectacular things I've ever seen. Seriously, I felt like I was bathing in something out of Star Trek, live long and prosper and all that.

What To Watch This Autumn

Anyone who knows me knows that I could spend hours in front my TV or computer watching endless boxsets. I just much prefer getting really into a good TV series rather than films and they provide the perfect distraction from university work (which I should probably be doing right now). My taste varies massively from the girly classics such as 90210, One Tree Hill, Desperate Housewives and Gossip Girl to the grittier Dexter, Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad (all of which I have watched from start to finish, some numerous times). I will watch pretty much anything and once I've started I have to finish, no matter how dire it seems to get, though I tend to enjoy gritter, creepier shows with serial killers and murder (what does this say about me?) As the nights are drawing in and my workload gets higher, I thought I'd share with you some of my recent favourites that I've been watching or am looking forward to getting stuck in to. So light a candle, grab a blanket (Primark have some amazing faux fur ones in at the moment) and stick your TV on.