July Favourites

Hi everyone, hope you are all well.

I can’t believe it is time to write another favourites post. There is only 4 months of the year left which is crazy as I remember New Year as if it was yesterday. However, we are now slowly moving towards Autumn which is undoubtedly the best time of the year.

I’ve tried quite a lot of new products and have acquired some new habits with beauty products this month which I am excited to talk about. I haven’t been buying loads of new products as I desperately need to save money so it was a month of raiding the cupboards trying new, unopened items.

Faith In Nature Coconut Hand Cream 

I am starting the post by talking about this as it is my favourite product in this post. My hands have been getting so dry and irritated from constantly being in and out of hot water in work and constantly wrapping up cutlery in cheap napkins. This product was a total saviour. My hands could also have been a bit drier since it is summer, but I do live in the Highlands in Scotland so even though the weather has been a bit nicer than normal I would still use the term summer lightly. This hand cream is so light and hydrating, it sinks into your skin almost immediately so there is no greasy hands after applying like there is with some moisturisers. The bottle is small and travel sized so it is perfect to take everywhere. As you can see in the photo there is the leaping bunny and vegan sign so this product is cruelty free.

Too Faced Melted Matte Lipstick in Queen B 

My love for these lipsticks is not a secret but this is the newest shade I have purchased and I am OBSESSED. I don’t normally suit darker shades of lipstick as I am so pale because I just look washed out but this is a deep purple/mauve with a pink tone through it and I love how it looks when I apply it. The formula is so smooth and easy to apply. When I get up for work at 7am and apply this lipstick it is still on almost perfectly when I return home at 9pm at night. It stays on perfectly through meals as well, whatever shade of this lipstick I use of this range I am never disappointed.

Simple Moisturising Face Wash

I use this every day either at night or in the morning to wash my face and I am so happy with the results. This is a product I have had for so long but only properly got into the habit of using it this month. My skin feels so soft and clean after using this. I have never used a foaming wash before and love the way it feels as I rub it into my skin. This tube will last for so long because you don’t need to use a lot of product, only a pea sized amount. I have a really bad habit of squeezing too much out and instead of wasting it just washing my face 2 or 3 times.

The Body Shop Coconut Shower Cream

This is another product from The Body Shop which didn’t disappoint. This is a soap free shower cream designed to cleanse your skin as well as clean it too. This is the second coconut scented item on this list so you can probably tell I love coconut. This is so strong and sweet smelling I wish I had a perfume that had a scent like this too. After using this my skin really does feel softer and more hydrated. If I use this in the shower then I tend to finish off and moisturise with my coconut body butter from The Body Shop as well in the hopes I smell of a tropical coconut queen for as long as possible.

The Body Shop All In One BB Cream

I’ve mentioned in previous posts about foundation not always looking right on my skin so now I have switched to using BB cream more or less every day instead of foundation. My skin has majorly thanked me for this as it looks so much better on my skin. It is so much lighter than foundation so it doesn’t clog up my pores at all which is nice. This BB cream is skin adapting too which is nice as you don’t need to worry about is being too light or too dark. When using this my skin has a more natural glow to it which makes me look much more refreshed too. There is also aloe vera infused into the cream which makes it all the more soothing too.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Promade 

Not even exaggerating or anything when I say this but this product has transformed the way I do my eyebrows. I LOVE this stuff. It is the easiest make up to apply that I have ever used. A little goes a long way with this product so you don’t need to use masses of product so even though it is just a wee tub you get it is most likely to last for months. There is a nice consistency to this promade, I really like filling in my eyebrows with it as it doesn’t try straight away so you aren’t struggling with it. It applies so smoothly leaving your brows looking Instagram perfect.

So that is all of my favourite products from July, I hope you all enjoyed to read this post. Every item on this list is cruelty free so I am keeping up my promise to only endorse cruelty free brands now. I would love to hear your thoughts on this post and whether or not you have tried any of the products I have spoken about, let me know in the comments.

Siobhan x

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Anastasia Beverly Hills Aurora Glowkit Review

Hi there everyone, hope you are all well today.

This is a very exciting post for me to write because I have been dying for an ABH glowkit since I first saw them. The one I had major heart eyes for and was pining after was not the Aurora glowkit, but the Moonchild glowkit. The Aurora Glowkit is kind of like the sister to the Moonchild Glowkit.  However, when this was released on Cult Beauty I couldn’t help myself and just knew I had to buy it. Since I am so pale I tend to stick to icy highlighters as that is what compliments my skin and make up best.

Let’s talk about the packaging – the glowkit is made out of thick and hard cardboard but has a slim and sturdy feel to it making it seem quite durable. The palette has a protective outer sleeve that slides off, the outer sleeve and palette have the same pattern. The colour scheme is gorgeous with the light purple/blue fading into a nice peach.

The palette has a magnetic close to it like many others which allows it to stay closed. One downside is that there is no mirror on the inside of the palette. This doesn’t bother me that much as I always do my make up in front of a larger mirror anyway. Even if I was travelling without a mirror I would be using other products like eyeshadow palettes which will have a mirror, so that is not a deal breaker only something a little disappointing.  There is also a holographic element to the packaging which gives it an even more luxurious feel to it.

The glowkit consists of 6 icy, metallic highlighters designed to give a metallic finish and “intense luminosity”. I’m not gonna lie, some of these shades look very intimidating. When I purchased this I didn’t really think through whether or not I was going to use most of the shades or not, I was just like OMG GLOWKIT MUST BUY. That might not have been the most sensible idea but upon trying and testing the colours I have fallen in love.

Eclipse – pink champagne with peach reflect

Luna – pearl shade with icy orchid reflect

Spectra – sparkling lilic with an iridescent blue-green reflect

Helia – yellow gold with turquoise reflect

Orion – pale blue with golden reflect

Lyra – rose gold champagne with orchid reflect

 

The shades look far more intimidating in the palette than they do when they are swatched. Spectra and Orion might still be a little bit out there for me personally but I’m sure it would be easy enough to incorporate them into an eyeshadow look if nothing else.

The texture is SO creamy and soft, it is so easy to apply and blend. This palette is so highly pigmented, I feel like I hardly use any product and I look like a glowing princess. There is a glitter throughout highlighters and that is something that I absolutely love, but I know not everyone is a huge fan of that. The glitter through it is so subtle so don’t let this put you off, it’s not chunky and when blended well the glitter catches the light and looks beautiful.

My favourite shades in this palette are Luna and Eclipse, I love icy highlighters as they suit me best and these two are no exception. There is something about Helia that I adore as well, it looks quite green in the palette but as you can see in the swatches it applies without a hint of green.

Here’s my make up from a yesterday where I was playing about with this palette, I used a mix of Luna and Eclipse to highlight all around my face. You can see in the photo just how glowy the highlighter is and how nice the glitter catches the light.

This has become my new favourite highlighting product right now and I am utterly obsessed. The quality and colours are amazing and ABH have outdone themselves with another hit glowkit. Although, as much as I love this I think if I had a glowkit before this I would not have felt the urge to purchase this one as much. I still recommend this product to anyone who loves highlighters, but if you have another 2,3 glowkits this one isn’t necessarily a must have for you.

Have any of you tried this glowkit, or any other ABH glowkits? I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Hope you all enjoyed reading this post,

Siobhan x

June Favourites

Hi everyone, I’m not gonna say that I can’t believe it’s July because I can. This year is passing crazy quick and it will be August before we know it. Even though I’m not in school and I work full-time, now that the school holidays have began I feel as though it is finally officially summer. I can’t wait to share all my favourite things from this month with you guys. 

Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette 

Let’s start off this list with one of my favourite buys from the whole of 2017. I gave this palette a glowing review on my blog back in January or February of this year, and I am still obsessed. I go through phases with my eyeshadow palettes and use a certain one non stop for a few weeks, this is the one I am currently obsessing with. The amazing quality, high pigmentation and range of shades makes it perfect for every day use and going out make up.
The Body Shop Vitamin E Cream Cleanser

Everyone knows how much I love The Body Shop this product is no exception. This is a light and creamy facial cleanser designed to remove make up and leave your skin feeling silky smooth and clean, which it certainly does. This product doesn’t have the nicest smell but it is such a gentle cleanser on the skin and I use this daily.

Instax Mini 8 Instant Camera

I have been obsessed with this camera since the moment I got it. I LOVE capturing moments with this. I’m trying to get into the habit of taking it everywhere I go with me, or at least everywhere when I do exciting things. Recently, I bought loads of new film for it including black and white film, blue edged film, polka dot edged film. This just makes it all look a bit more colourful and interesting in my photo album.

Alexa Chung – IT

I adore this book. It is a sort of scrapbook journal that Alexa Chung has written filled with doodles and photos from throughout her life. She discusses her style icons such as Winona Ryder and Mick Jagger, gives helpful suggestions on make up and heartbreak too. It is refreshingly witty and down to earth. It’s a pleasant read.

The Body Shop Fuji Green Tea Body Butter

I have had this moisturiser for so long but I still love it. It makes my skin sooo smooth and I adore the smell of it too. My favourite thing about this is that it doesn’t leave my skin feel that sticky way when a moisturiser hasn’t quite sunk into your skin yet. This is the perfect moisturiser for summer as it smells refreshing and crisp and leaves your skin feeling soft as anything.

That’s all my favourites from this month. Hope you all enjoyed reading this post, I would love to hear your thoughts on any of the items I’ve mentioned.

Siobhan x

Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette Review

Hiii everyone, sorry I feel like it has been so long since I last posted which is not keeping up with my promise of blogging more consistently. However, I have been planning and prepping for more posts so points to me for some decent organisational skills. Today I am writing about the ABH Modern Renaissance palette, this is the first eye shadow palette I have ever used from the brand and given the hype around it I have very high expectations.

Let’s talk about the packaging. The first photo is a picture of the cardboard box that was protecting the palette. The second photo is the actual palette, both the box and palette are similar in colour and pattern however the palette is velvet. So many people hate velvet and can’t stand it, but I’m the opposite I love it. I think it such a nice and soft texture. The packaging looks super pink in these photos but it’s actually got a few lilac tones through it which is nice, this is a really nice and aesthetically pleasing colour.

The colours in this palette range from a mix of warm neutral colours to berries and pink colours. The pink shades are a little bit more out of my comfort zone and I am so excited to use them and try it out after seeing so many beautiful cranberry toned looks from this palette. There are 14 eye shadows all together, the majority of shades are matte (11 matte and 3 shimmer shades). The first thing I noticed when I was doing my swatches was the texture of the eyeshadow is SO soft and creamy but a little bit powdery at the same time. The good thing is it isn’t even a little bit dry. The colours of this palette blend so beautifully together it is amazing.

Now, I KNOW I apologise every time I do swatches in this reviews because I am just so bad at them. I genuinely don’t understand how I am so incapable of putting eyeshadow in a straight line on my arm. Another apology as it is basically impossible to see the first colour I swatched on my arm 1) because I am deathly pale and, 2) because of my shitty bedroom lighting and iPhone camera. The first shade is at the bottom of the piccy and then works it’s way up to the last shade at the top.

Tempera – a velvetty beige with peachy tones throughout and a matte finish.

Golden Ochre – earthy, medium-dark yellow with olive tones and a matte finish. This is a great transition shade.

Vermeer – a bright, light peach with warm undertones and a frosted sheen. This shade is perfect for your brow bone, inner corner and lid, good in every look!

Buon Fresco – a muted, medium lavender with a matte finish. The texture is a little bit more powdery than some of the other shades.

Antique Bronze – a medium-dark brown with red undertones and a pearly sheen to it. This shade is perfect for a brown smokey eye.

Love Letter – a beautiful dark berry shade with cool undertones and a matte finish. This shade is very buildable.

Cyprus Umber – a dark brown, coffee like shade with warmer red undertones throughout and a matte finish.

Raw Sienna – is a neutral amber with golden undertones and a matte finish. The texture is soft and creamy while still being very buildable on the skin.

Burnt Orange – a deep orange-brown with warm undertones through it and a matte finish. The texture is soft and smooth, but a little dusty. Good shade to use to deepen the crease.

Primavera – a light, medium peachy gold with warm undertones and a frosted, metallic sheen. This shade was soft to apply but slightly dusty with a little fallout. It’s a little drier than the other colours in the palette too. However, it is such a beautiful colour it is one of my favourites in the palette.

Red Ochre – a medium, dark red with subtle warm undertones and a matte finish. This is a really cool sort of brick-red brown colour and can see it being a favourite amongst people. The texture is silky smooth so it blended out quite well, but also did sheer out a little so building up this shade would work better.

Venetian Red – a medium-dark crimson red shade with a matte finish. This shade is the driest in the palette and kicked up excess product when applied.

Warm Taupe – a medium earthy brown with a matte finish. This is a good neutralising shade to blend with if a different brown is a little too warm.

Realgar – a medium-dark orange with warm undertones with a matte finish. There is good pigmentation to this shade and a very silky smooth texture.

Overall, I think this palette has an amazing shade range. The blendability and pigmentation is very impressive. Also a good thing to note is this palette actually has a really good brush included, some palettes come with brushes that are crap but this one isn’t. The velvet packaging is very easy to get dirty, which isn’t the most convenient. I would definitely say this palette lives up to the hype around it, you would not regret buying this.

Hope you all enjoyed reading this review,

Love Siobhan x