MINIMISE YOUR MORNING ROUTINE

As if getting up and ready in the morning wasn't already a struggle, it's that time of year again where it's darker longer than it is light and getting ready on time is a much harder task than it was before. Some of the following tips may seem really obvious, however when you actually put them to good use you'll find you use your time a lot more effectively in the morning!

If you're anything like me then caffeine is the first thing on your list when you wake up and there is no need to cut this step out. As long as you make it before doing anything else you can drink it as you get ready and that will only add a few seconds per sip rather than stopping off on the way, as this takes a lot more time and your bank will thank you too.

Choose an alarm that isn't going to put you in a bad mood. I don't know about you but an annoying alarm always frustrates me, i'd much rather wake up to something a lot softer as it will ease you out of your sleep gently so you will be much calmer! Also, snoozing is perfectly acceptable - as long as you set your alarm a little earlier. This way you'll gradually wake up ready for the day rather than abruptly and in a foul mood.

This one is pretty obvious and that is to get everything you can ready the night before. Whether that is laying out clothes or beauty products, I promise you it'll save you valuable time!

Not only should you lay things out the night before, you should pamper yourself. Any part of your beauty routine that takes that little bit longer should be done before you sleep, for example exfoliating, face masks or washing your hair. This is going to shorten your shower time massively!

I am guilty for reaching for my phone as soon as I wake up and scroll through all forms of social media so I can completely put off the getting ready process. Recently I have started to save this for break/lunch times, not only do I have more time to spare when getting ready it also makes boring breaks go A LOT quicker!

Finally, when getting ready you should focus on all the things you can't do on the move. This step is for those of you that catch a lift or get the train every morning, save your face make up that doesn't involve 100% precision for when you're on your way to work. Get things such as eye liners, lip liners, brows, mascara etc done whilst you're still home and you might even find you actually don't need a full face after all!

What are your time saving tips?

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Autumn Beauty Essentials

It's November in less than a week... I'm just going to let that sink in! As quick as this year is going I am so glad it is Autumn time again. Autumn Leaves, Pumpkin Spice Latte's, Cosy Scarves and the feeling that Christmas is approaching are just a few of the reasons I adore this time of the year! Another thing I love is changing up my beauty essentials to much warmer tones so I thought I would share with you a few of my absolute favourites and they are all pretty affordable.

I don't know what it is about colder months that makes me prefer a full coverage foundation but I really do and one that I have been reaching for a lot recently is the EX1 Invisiwear Liquid Foundation (£12.50) in the shade F100. I bought this back when they hadn't upgraded their colour range so I had around 5 shades to choose from and being as pale as I am, of course I went tor the lightest shade which is actually still too dark for me! I just add a drop or two of The Body Shop Lightening Drops and it creates the perfect shade for me. Since then they have brought out so many more shades so I will certainly be picking up a lighter one as I cannot get enough of this foundation! I'd say the coverage is medium but certainly build able and beautiful. Considering celebrities such as Kylie Jenner and Adele wear this product it has to be amazing right? It gives such a flawless healthy finish to the skin and you 100% need to try it.

Orange/Burgundy/Purple eye make up looks are my absolute favourite during Autumn and if you're a warm tone lover like me then you will adore this palette. It is the Zoeva Cocoa Blend Palette (£18) and I think the swatches speak for themselves! Each shade is highly pigmented and super easy to blend, here is a brief description of each shade:

Bitter Start - Matte Cream

Sweeter End - Soft Grey/Lilac Metallic 

Warm Notes - Gorgeous Metallic Purple/Cranberry 

Subtle Blend - Deep Metallic Brown

Beans Are White - Matte Off Black

Pure Ganache - Warm Metallic Gold

Substitute For Love - Warm Light Orange/Brown, Subtle Gold Shimmer

Freshly Toasted - Matte Deep Warm Brown

Infusion - Grey/Brown With Gold Shimmer

Delicate Acidity - Purple Metallic With Pink Reflects

 (Left to Right - Bitter Start, Sweeter End, Warm Notes, Subtle Blend, Beans Are White)

(Left to Right - Pure Ganache, Substitute For Love, Freshly Toasted, Infusion, Delicate Acidity)

Whilst we're on the subject of eyes, I had to include Benefit It's Potent Eye Cream (£25.50) as it's been my go to eye cream for months now. Firstly Benefit has the cutest packaging for every single one of their products so can we please just appreciate how simple yet adorable the pot is! The formula of this eye cream is super lightweight but it just leaves the skin feeling incredibly smooth and hydrated. Over time this cream has actually reduced the circles under my eyes, not completely but they certainly have improved.

NYX Glitter Brilliants (£5.50) are absolutely gorgeous! I went ahead and purchased the shades Gold, Copper and Red as you would've seen in my Autumnal Glitter Cut Crease post which I will leave linked here if you haven't. All three shades are perfect for Autumn/Winter! I have been wearing the Gold glitter on my inner corners a lot recently and I've had quite a few people ask what I was wearing as it really does make any eye look POP! All you need is a dab of eyelash glue and these glitters are there to stay and they aren't budging all night long.

Finally are my two favourite lip products of all time. They are both from NYX, Soft Matte Lip Cream in Dubai (£5.50) and Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick in Soft Spoken (£6.50) and they are worth every penny! I'll start with the Lip Cream in Dubai as this is unlike any other lip product I own, it's a gorgeous true brown that is super soft on the lips and stays put for a really long time even without a liner underneath. I actually think this would be a really good dupe for Kylie Jenner's Lip Kit in True Brown K just with a different formula, however I do not own the Lip Kit so I can't compare them on here for you! Liquid Suede in Soft Spoken is again extremely soft and comfortable on the lips and doesn't move. It's a gorgeous a deep pink/mauve Autumn shade and that it the best way I can describe it!

What are your Autumn Beauty Essentials?

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Urban Decay Naked Skin Colour Correcting Fluid

Urban Decay is one of those brands that never fails to amaze me with their products! They are absolutely loved in the beauty world for every single one of their products whether it's the Naked Palettes, Naked Skin Concealer, All Nighter Setting Spray or their Eyeshadow Primer Potion - I'm sure you have tried one or at least heard of them. Colour correcting is a huge trend at the minute and I am loving it! Urban Decay have not long ago come out with 5 different colour correcting fluids in the shades: Green, Peach, Pink, Lavender and Yellow which are all used for counteracting different tones on the skin. I could not wait to get my hands on these, although as they are £17.50 each I opted to try just the one shade first but I am 100% going back for more!

The shade I was dying to try was of course the Pink as this is perfect for dull under eyes. I have used Urban Decay's Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer for months now and these two paired together are a matched made in heaven for the brightest under eyes EVER! I have been reaching for this combination every single time I have worn makeup recently whether it's a full face or just everyday and I fall in love over and over again with this colour corrector.

I absolutely love how this concealer feels on the skin, it's super creamy yet lightweight so it doesn't feel heavy under your concealer at all! It's also rich in antioxidants, vitamin C and vitamin E so it keeps your skin protected whilst correcting.  The coverage of this corrector is perfect and with the help of the subtle pearlescent pigments the diffused light gives the perfect finish.

I would definitely re-purchase this product as it honestly does what it claims to do! You can shop the whole range of colour correctors here.

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5 Beauty Tips I Would Give My Younger Self

A few days ago I decided to take a trip down memory lane and have a look at all the old photos on Facebook from back when I was at school and I just WISH someone would've told me these 5 things before because... what was I thinking??? I'm talking back to the time when Dream Matte Mousse was the best foundation a girl could own. This post is something completely different to all my other posts, I just thought i'd have a little fun and hopefully help some of you still in school so you don't make the beauty mistakes I did!

Dear Younger Aimee,

1. Do NOT over pluck your eyebrows - trust me, you will regret it. As easy as it is to tweak a hair here and there it is nowhere near as easy to get them back and having eyebrows that look like they've had a divorce was one of my errors.

2. Foundation is where you need to take more time when purchasing. Just because someone else has a certain foundation in a certain shade does not mean that you need that exact one. They probably have an entirely different base to you - whether that's tone or skin type - there is a 97% chance that it's not the exact same as yours.

3. Don't just pick up the cheapest make up wipes in the store just because they're on offer for £1, because there is an extremely high chance that they are no good for your skin and will cause breakouts due to the alcohol content. I find Simple's make up wipes work for me - however I only use these to remove makeup very occasionally when i'm in a mega rush or if I'm feeling a little lazy as they do do the job well, but for everyday use take a look at an all in one cleanser that is made for your skin type and you'll notice a huge difference.

4. Do NOT apply another layer of makeup over the perfectly good layer already on your skin. In school me and my friends would spend the majority of our breaks/lunch in the toilets applying more make up when we didn't need to at all. This is just going to clog your pores and make your skin appear very cakey and if your school is anything like mine was then they will make you take it all off anyway!

5. The MOST important thing is to be happy with what you have. I know a lot of people will say this and you might feel like others are prettier than you etc... If you are positive and happy then that is going to reflect back at you and you will appear much more beautiful to yourself and others.

All My Love, Older Aimee who had to learn from these mistakes x

What beauty advice would you give your younger self?

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