Pretty In Pink - Naked 3 Palette Look

27 December

I've always been a huge Naked Palette lover just like any other girl, however when I saw the Naked 3 I was a bit nervous to use it because I never normally use pink products on my eyes. This palette has completely changed my mind, you really create so many looks with this palette and I would definitely recommend getting your hands on it if you haven't already, the colours are just so gorgeous.

For this makeup look I went for quite a natural pink smoky eye but I really liked the way it turned out so I thought i'd share this with you for those who are also unsure about pink eyeshadow!
Products used;
Mac Strobe Cream
Mac Soft Ochre Paint Pot
Naked 3 Colours Used Were - Strange (all over), Nooner (transition shade), Darkside (outer corner/crease), Limit (Lid) and finally I sprayed my brush with Mac Fix+ to make Dust more pigmented (inner corner/lid)
Soap & Glory Supercat Liner
Lash Sensational
Sleek Brow Kit
L'oreal Brow Plumper
Too Faced Born This Way Foundation
Urban Decay weightless complete coverage concealer in Fair/Neutral
Vichy Setting Powder
Mac Give Me Sun
Mary-Lou Manizer (also used as brow highlight)
Mac Soar Lip Liner
Mac Pink Plaid Lipstick
Mac Fix +



Thank you for reading!

Perfect Fragrance - For Her

18 December

As it's nearly christmas and fragrance is always a great gift to buy whether it's a friend/mum/girlfriend/grandma. So I thought i'd do a post on my all time favourite scents and there is 100% at least one or two you or someone you know will LOVE!

A lot of you will have already smelt this and know that it smells like absolute heaven! It's very sweet yet floral scent with the main notes being red plum and freesia. This is only a fragrance mist so it won't last as long as some of the other fragrances in this post but it would still make the perfect gift!

Being a celebrity fragrance before I smelt this I imagined it to be a sickly sweet scent but its not at all! This perfume is a mixture or sweet, floral and vanilla and it's absolutely beautiful. It's very lightweight but its just so pretty you have to go and give this one a smell!

I've mentioned this fragrance before in my November favourites which I will link here if you're interested. I'm not a huge floral scent lover however this perfume has completely changed my mind. I'd say its more of a spring/summer perfume however I wear it all year round as its gorgeous! It's quite light so it's better for daytime use rather than night time, the main notes being limoncello, peonies and caramel.

This perfume is a little more expensive however once you've smelt it you will 100% understand why, it smells incredible. It was also included in another of my favourites which i'll link here. This fragrance is quite heavy so it's the perfect night out perfume, "Sì – The Modern and Elegant Chypre. Chic, sultry, intense and soft at the same time, Sì is a chypre scent reinvented, lingering on the skin and captivating the senses." It's a mixture of sweet/floral/fruity, absolute perfection.

I absolutely love the bottle for this fragrance it's so unique and so is the scent. It's definitely a more musky scent than the others, it's more of a woody floral but i'm completely in love with it. 

Hope this helps with any last minute gifts or simply just another one to add to your fragrance collection.

Liebster Award

18 December

I have been nominated by the lovely Jess over at Jessieonh.

There are a few rules and they are as follows:

- In a new blog post, link and thank the person who nominated you.
- Include the Liebster Award sticker in the post.
- Nominate 10 other bloggers who have 200 or fewer followers who deserve the recognition (you can use Bloglovin’ follower counts).
- Comment on those bloggers’ websites to inform them that they have been nominated.
- Answer the 10 questions asked to you by the person who nominated you.
- Create 10 questions for your nominees.

Jess's questions to me are: 

1. What is one thing you can't live without?
Very cliché but my phone. I very recently got the rose gold 6s and safe to say i'm OBSESSED. I'm always on my phone either reading blogs, watching youtube videos or simply messaging my friends - i'm such a sucker for social media.

2. Do you have any christmas traditions and if so, what are they?
Every year around christmas time me and my family take a day trip to London! We look at the lights and visit all the big stores such as Selfridges, Fortnum and Mason, Liberty etc to see all the christmas decorations/finish our christmas shopping and not forgetting we always finish the day off with a lush meal! 

3. Where are you from?
I'm from a little town in Hertfordshire called Bishops Stortford.

4. What is your favourite hobby (besides blogging)?
Over the passed year I've become obsessed with going to the gym, so i'd say thats my hobby!

5. Favourite store?
Just like a lot of other girls i'm going to have to say Selfridges! I could literally be in that store all day long, there's absolutely everything in there so it never fails to amaze me.

6. Who is your celebrity crush?
I think anyone who knows me would be able to answer this for me - Harry Styles.

7. Why did you start blogging?
Most of my spare time is spent reading blogs/reviews on products/watching youtube videos and I just thought it would be a lot of fun to have a blog of my own and SO many of my friends were telling to me do it as well so I just thought why not!

8. Coffee, Tea or neither?
Coffee, 100%

9. Sun or Snow?
As much as I love christmas time and being all snug with candles and a fire whilst it snows outside, I'm gunna go with sun. 

10. What is your biggest fear?
I'm a typical girl and i'm absolutely terrified of spiders/wasps/snakes, but to be completely honest small spaces get me the most. 

I know in the rules it says to nominate 10 but i'm just going to nominate 5, My Nominees are:
Molli from alongcamemolli
Megan from lifewithmcm
Katy from prdaydream
Rebecca from beccaofficial
Sophie from makeupbysophie

My questions for you girls are:
Who is currently your favourite blogger?
What made you start your blog and what inspired the name of it?
Do you have a secret talent?
Where is your dream holiday destination?
If you could meet anyone dead or alive who would it be?
What's your fave blog post you've written?
What is the first thing you do in the morning?
Cat or Dog?
If you could only wear one item of makeup for the rest of your life what would it be?
If you could have a 3 course meal consisting of anything you wished for, what would you choose?

Thanks for reading!

MY 5 HOLY GRAIL MAC LIPSTICKS

09 December
There are SO many mac lipsticks available, all different colours and finish's so I thought i'd share my top 5 favourites! Whether you're a complete newbie to make up and just want that one lipstick that you will love and use all the time or if you're just looking for another gorgeous lipstick to add to your collection hopefully this will help you! Mac lipsticks can also be a great christmas present so I thought it would be the perfect time to post this.


The lipsticks included in this post I believe would suit any skin tone, any hair colour and a wide age range, LET'S GET STARTED!

The following all retail at £15.50 and are available here.


Velvet Teddy is a very popular Mac lipstick and if you don't already, you have to get your hands on it! It's the perfect matte nude which is very popular in the makeup world. This lipstick lasts a really long time which is important as it means you don't need to reapply as often and it's not at all drying for the lips!

Pink Plaid is the first ever lipstick I owned and it has stuck with me through a lot of events and nights out! I LOVE this lipstick, again it's a matte finish, however it's not at all drying and also lasts a long time. I'd explain this as a kind of dusty rose, it's quite a muted pink although it stands out at the same time. I have been complimented a countless number of times whilst wearing this colour and I think it's just the perfect everyday lipstick.

Viva Glam II is my most recent purchase and I will repurchase this over and over again. It's a satin finish this one so it feels so soft when you apply it and again it lasts a really long time. It's the perfect nude and has a much pinker undertone than velvet teddy, however I think I actually slightly prefer this colour and I find myself reaching for this more often.

Ruby Woo is again a very popular Mac lipstick and you're probably fed up of people going on about it, but honestly this red lip is a must have! It's a matte finish, the only downside to this one is that I find it to be really quite drying and I find it a little difficult to rub my lips together when I wear this. However I do think this is a lipstick that everyone needs to own as it's STUNNING.

Diva is the perfect lipstick for autumn/winter, it's absolutely gorgeous! It is pretty dark so it might not be everyones cup of tea but I don't have a bad word to say about it! It lasts a really long time and yet again it's a matte finish. 

I have swatched all the colours below so you can see how they come out:


I hope this post has helped and you enjoyed it! 

ANTI-RESOLUTION LIST

05 December

The new year is when everyone writes a long list of things they want to change about themselves, "NEW YEAR, NEW ME."

Whilst reading January's issue of Glamour Magazine I came across their anti-resolution list which I loved! The idea of it is, instead of writing a list of things such as lose weight, join a gym, stop swearing etc, it's a list of things that they're completely okay with not achieving. 

So here goes, this is my anti-resolution list;

Stop spending all my money on makeup
As much as I should probably do this i'm 100% not going to. Everyone has that one thing that they love and mine just happens to be makeup and beauty products. My bank may hate me for this but my skin certainly won't!

Stop being late ALL THE TIME
No matter how hard I try, if we have plans you should always expect me to be later than when we have agreed. It's just part of who I am and would like to apologise in advance x

Eat a strict healthy diet
Over the past year I have lost a lot of weight and finally hit my goal and I didn't need an extremely strict diet to do so. I find that personally as long as I work out enough it doesn't really matter what I eat. PLUS if I have strict guidelines not to eat something i'm going to crave it a whole lot more. Now where's the chocolate?

Hope next year is better than the last
I don't see the point in dwelling on the past and I personally agree with the saying 'everything happens for a reason'. I know somethings might feel like the end of the world but trust me it isn't and theres plenty of good things waiting around the corner for you.

I hope you enjoyed this post, it's not beauty related however I thought it would be fun and a little different.

NOVEMBER FAVOURITES

04 December
It literally feels like yesterday that I was writing my October favourites but another month has passed and its time for my November favourites!


Body Shop Vitamin C Spray & Real Techniques Sponge Combo
A Beauty Blender or a Real Techniques Sponge is VITAL in my makeup routine! All over social media is the beauty hack to dampen your sponge in order to blend everything flawlessly and I have found that this Vitamin C spray is perfect to do so! Not only is it an easier way to dampen, it also benefits your skin! I find that this really helps wakes me up as well! You can find the Vitamin C spray here and the Sponge here.


Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara
I don't know why I haven't bought this mascara sooner! It's all across the blogging world at the minute and I am jumping on the wagon and letting you know it is AMAZING. I have quite long lashes naturally so it's really hard for me to find the perfect mascara that doesn't print onto my brow bone. I've tried all sorts of high end and drugstore mascara's and this is honestly the only one I have truly loved! It retails for £7.99 and is available here.


Sephora Eye Masks
I've heard a lot of positive feedback on these sheet masks however living in the UK there is no Sephora which sucks! Luckily I went on holiday to Puerto Banus and there was one right next to where I was staying! The all over face ones are amazing too but these eye masks I've been particularly loving this month. They're so refreshing helping with puffiness, hydration and just generally pampering! They are available online here.


Mac's Viva Glam 2 Lipstick
This is the newest lipstick to my collection and it has pretty quickly taken the spot of my all time favourite! Its a gorgeous muted pinky/nude colour with a satin finish. Its available here.



Coconut Oil
I'm all for beauty hacks and this one is I am SO glad I have discovered. This is an amazing natural remedy to whiten your teeth, it really does work! All you do is pop 1tsp in your mouth, swoosh it around for about 15-20 minutes and VOILA! Brush your teeth and you will instantly see stains are reduced and your smile appears whiter! You can pick this up anywhere, here is a couple at Holland & Barrett.


Prada Candy Florale
This fragrance is perfect for summer, however I keep wearing because it smells so gorgeous. It's such a lush sweet/floral scent. It's very light so I wouldn't recommend it for a night out however it's lovely for everyday use. It is available here.


Last but definitely not least!!

Makeup Revolution Ultra Matte Palette
First of all you get 32 shades for £8.. not only that they are super pigmented too! You can pick this up in Superdrug or online here.

24 HAPPY DAYS

01 December
It's finally December and it just wouldn't be the same without an advent calendar! Usually i'm so unprepared when it comes to picking up a good advent calendar so my mum ends up getting me one very last minute, but this year I managed to get my hands on The Body Shop 24 Happy Days Beauty Advent Calendar and i'm SO excited about it!

HOW CUTE IS THIS?!
Not only is the packaging adorable it is filled with products to suit everybody. I unfortunately couldn't find it on the UK site as I think it may be sold out, however I did manage to find it on the USA Body Shop site here. There is a long list of the content on the website and on the back of the product BUT I have avoided reading it to keep the whole element of surprise.

Another thing I love about this advent calendar is that it is part of the Body Shop partnership with Water Aid, so 1 calendar = 1 day of clean water for a family.

As you open the doors you can see all the individually wrapped days, you can also see that the items in this advent calendar are a pretty generous size and all perfect to travel with!

Here's a close up of the message printed on the right hand door:


If you didn't manage to get your hands on any beauty advent calendars this year The Body Shop have an online one available to everyone where you can unlock gift ideas and beauty hacks, this is available to view here if you're interested!

What's your favourite advent calendar?

LET'S TALK PRIMERS

28 November
There are so many different primers on the market at the minute that all do different things for different skin types. As i've mentioned before my skin is combination/oily so I thought i'd share with you the primers i've found to be the best and the worst for my skin!

A primer is vital in my makeup routine to ensure that my makeup stays in place all day without shifting or going shiny.


From left to right:
Benefit Porefessional, Soap & Glory One Heck Of A Blot, The Body Shop Wonderblur, Nivea Men Sensitive Post Shave Balm


Benefit Porefessional
This primer is my all time favourite primer! It claims to minimise the appearance of pores and it does just that, it is the perfect base for when you want a flawless face. This primer is literally as soft as silk to apply and really makes makeup cling to the face, however it doesn't cure going shiny so I can imagine it works just as well on dry skin. It's best used on the T zone as thats where pores are usually more visible. It retails at £24.50 but its honestly worth every penny and it lasts a very long time! You can get your hands on it here.

Soap & Glory One Heck Of A Blot
This is the newest primer in my makeup collection after seeing a bunch of positive reviews about it and I must say I LOVE this primer! "With Shine-Bloc 12HR Matte Spheres & Pore Shrink Technology." This primer is fabulous for keeping my skin matte for the longest amount of time! You only need a tiny amount of this and it still manages to shrink the appearance of pores. It is available here and only costs £10.00, DEFINITELY WORTH IT.

Now onto the primers that don't work as well for my skin:

The Body Shop Wonderblur
This primer is the strangest texture and I think that is what put me off it first. It supposed to smooth the skins texture by reducing the appearance of pores and fine lines, which it does to a certain extent. Don't get me wrong it does make them less visible however with this primer it tends to feel like its actually blocking my pores slightly so it makes my makeup feel a lot heavier than it is! It retails at £17.00 and is available here.

Nivea Men Sensitive Post Shave Balm
You're probably wondering why this product is on a blog post about primers but truth is it makes your makeup last a VERY long time. A lot of people absolutely love this product as a primer but unfortunately I'm not one of them. It acts as a glue to foundation which is fab and the scent isn't too overpowering either! I did however found after using this product a couple of days in a row it actually made me break out so it's a no from me. It is only cheap so I'd definitely recommend giving it a go as it literally makes your makeup last forever, you can pick it up in boots for just £5.35.

Hope this helps!
What's your all time FAVE primer?

CHRISTMAS BEAUTY IDEAS AT SELFRIDGES

25 November
Choosing the perfect gift for someone can be a challenge! Whilst browsing the internet I went onto Selfridges to get some inspiration and I must say there are some gorgeous gifts on there and they're not too badly priced either. I've gathered a collection of the ones I thought were mega cute, so hopefully this will help some of you buy your friends/families gifts this year!










Hope this helps, there are LOADS more gifts online here

PERFECT YOUR POUT

20 November
When in doubt, POUT. Over the past few months pouts have become much more of a focus across social media, For example 'The Kylie Jenner Challenge', this is where girls suck their lips into a small cup or lid and actually causing themselves more damage than good, purely just to get a plumper pout. 

As the party season is just round the corner and mistletoe is coming your way I thought I would show you an easier/less painful alternative to plump up your pout in just 5 steps.

Heres what you're gunna need:


1. First off SCRUB, in the cold weather my lips get really dry and this Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub is perfect when it comes to getting super soft lips. I'm not sure that you're supposed to but this smells and tastes good enough to eat. The caster sugar and Jojoba oil in this lip scrub makes sure my lips stay in top condition.

2. PEPPERMINT OIL, you're probably thinking Aimee what........? but peppermint oil is an effective natural remedy that actually plumps your lips. I usually dilute it slightly by mixing it with my lip balm as it makes your lips tingle and if its not diluted the sensation can be a bit too much. Please be careful when applying this to the lips - DO NOT EAT.

3. Lip Liner. If you overdraw too much you will look like a bit of a clown, However this is a great way to give the illusion that your lips are bigger than they are. My current favourite is Rimmel Lasting Finish in Cappuccino and it's available from Boots or Lloyds Pharmacy.


4. Lipstick, like a lot of girls lipstick is my favourite part of my makeup collection! I find by applying my base colour all over, in this case Mac Viva Glam 2, then applying a slightly lighter lipstick to the centre of my lips, in this case Mac Pure Pout, to create a slight ombre which again is great at giving you a plumper looking pout.

5. Finally Highlight, by applying highlighter to your cupids bow this really finishes off any lip look, my current favourite is Mary-Lou Manizer.

Whats your favourite lip combination? Let me know.

HANDBAG ESSENTIALS

13 November
What's in my bag changes a lot but these products have managed to stick around for a long time so I thought i'd show you the few things I always keep in my bag!


Lets get started;

The first thing is my mini Georgio Armani Si perfume, it's a tiny 7ml version so it's perfect for travelling! I got given this as a gift alongside the 30ml so i'm not entirely sure where you can get this baby one from, however if you want to know what kind of scent this is I did mention it in my October Favourites.


Next up is this Sure Maximum Protection Anti-Perspirant Cream Stress Control Deodorant, the name is as long lasting as this deodorant. This deodorant I honestly couldn't live without it's so long-lasting, it doesn't have a strong scent but it also smells really fresh and it keeps underarms completely dry yet moisturised throughout the day. It retails for £4.99 and is available here. HACK: I can't remember where I saw this hack and I definitely would NOT recommend this for  everyday use - however it's helped me on the odd occasion! So you know the days when you're in such a rush you completely forget to apply any deodorant, stress no more, its not you that smells its actually the bacteria which gathers under your arms when you sweat so if you apply a small amount of hand sanitiser to your underarms it's going to prevent that bacteria from growing and you won't smell!


I honestly don't know what I would do if I hadn't discovered Mac's Blot Powder, any one with even slightly oily skin this powder will change your life! It retails at £20.50 and is available here. This powder comes with a small pad and a mirror so it saves you carrying them round separately. It somehow managed to keep me matte throughout the day and it is an absolute MUST HAVE. It is available in different colours for different skin tones so I would definitely have a look in store for the correct colour, for those of you interested I was recommended Medium/Dark, even though i'm super pale.


EOS Smooth Sphere Lip Balm in Summer Fruit - the condition of my lips has completely changed since I got this for christmas last year, its an absolute saviour in the cold weather. It's full of Vitamin E and Shea Butter so you really can feel a difference and it tastes good too. It retails at £6.50 and is available here.


Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick - Bond Girl. This lipstick is fairly new to my collection but I can't stress to you enough how pretty this lip colour is! I first saw it on Samantha Maria's Youtube channel and instantly fell in love. It says it's a matte lipstick but its honestly not drying at all it feels so lovely on the lips!


Finally, who doesn't keep a hand cream in their bag?! This L'Occitane hand cream is a gorgeous vanilla sent and I just love how moisturised my hands feel after using it! I find their regular hand creams way to big to be kept in my handbag however this one is the perfect size! It retails at £8.00 and is available here.


I hope you enjoyed this post, let me know of any products you can't leave the house without!