March Beauty Favourites!

Hey beaut's!

March is nearly over thank goodness, I think we've all had enough of the Beast of the East rounds one and two haven't we! I'm fully in Spring mode now, I just want warmer days, sunshine and flowers in abundance, is that too much to ask he he!
I've noticed I have a pink themed favourites this month and I promise it wasn't planned, I guess I'm feeling those pink vibes at the moment! My first favourite this month is the Bilou Creamy Shower Foam in Cotton Candy, this stuff is incredible, the foam comes straight out of the can so theres no need to lather anything up, it feels so soft and nourishing against my skin and doesn't dry my body out and the smell... wow it's heavenly, just like fluffy candy floss, caramelly and sweet! Next up is my Dior Lip Glow Balm, I had totally forgotten about this until my lips where so dry and absolutely NOTHING was working at getting them nourished, that was until I whacked this beauty on! This is honestly the BEST lip balm I've ever used, it's extremely nourishing and gave my lips the kiss of life that they needed, and the formula is pretty cool too because it reacts to your lip chemistry and creates a pretty pink glow that is unique to you!
The Maybelline Total Temptation Mascara has been my go to mascara for everyday wear during March, it creates longer, spikier and super black lashes and I don't get any of the dreaded transferring or smudging which is a major bonus considering theres moisturising coconut within the formula! I couldn't do my march favourites and not include the drop dead gorgeous Spectrum Bomb Shell Makeup Brushes, these beauties are not only stunning but are the best quality brushes I own and apply my makeup like a dream, I love them so so much! 
The Too Faced Hangover 3-in-1 Setting Spray is pretty new to me but I quickly fell in love with it and have even got the full size bottle on order now he he! You can actually prime, set, or refresh you skin throughout the day with this but personally I've been using the spray to set my makeup in place which it does really well and it's great if I've gone a little bit OOT on the powder products because it reduces that cakey, over powdered look without leaving me oily a few hours later! And lastly this month I've been loving Jimmy Choo's Blossom perfume again, this is such a lovely perfume that opens up with sweet, juicy notes and then surprisingly it turns into a somewhat floral, fruity mash up which is so nice and very spring /summer, I'm so done with musky wintery scents now!

What have you been loving this month beaut's? I'd love to know!

nopin

Too Faced Spring/Summer Picks!

Hey beaut's!

Spring has finally sprung here in the UK and it's time to have a switch-aroo in the ole makeup bag and get some Spring vibes going on. I have been trying a few new things from Too Faced recently as well as a few old favourites which I think are perfect for that Spring/Summer switch up! 

The Peachy Vibes!

I have talked about my love for the Sweet Peach Eyeshadow Palette (£39.00) so many times on my blog, I think it's my all time favourite eyeshadow palette actually which is a pretty bold statement because I do love my eyeshadows! The whole shade range and vibe of this palette is perfect for those pretty Spring looks whether you want something subtle or more glam, the quality of the formula is literally incredible and it smells just like frickin' peaches too, whats not to love! Sticking with the peach family the Sweet Peach Glow Palette* (£34.00) is great if you want your highlight, blush and bronzer to all be compact in one palette, the highlighter has a gorgeous peachy-champagne glow, the blush is the most beautiful shade of peach and is super dewy looking which is right up my street and the bronzer is nice and warm with my sparkly shimmers within it and of course they smell like peaches too.

The Bronzers!

During the Spring and Summer I love getting my bronzers back out, I don't really use them much in the colder months if I'm honest but I love sun kissed skin at this time of the year. If your looking for something completely matte then I cant recommend the Milk Chocolate Soleil in Light/Medium* (£25.00) enough, it has a well pigmented, buildable formula that blends onto my skin like an absolute dream and really warms up my complexion in a natural way, and it smells just like milk chocolate, it's amazing! If your after something with a little bit of a glow to it then the Sweetheart Baked Bronzer in Sweet Tea* (£25.00) is where the parties at, this one adds a luminous bronzed glow to the skin without the glitter, it's so pretty and healthy looking! And can we just take a moment to appreciate the seriously cute packaging, omgfhgdgddsg! 

The Lips!
I like to always have a 'go to' nude no matter what time of the year it is and the Melted Matte Liquid Lipstick in Child Star* (£19.00) is absolutely gorgeous, it's a warm nude that looks more pinky on me than beige which I really like and this Melted Matte formula is by far one of the most comfortable I think I’ve ever worn. It glides on so smoothly and dries completely matte but without feeling super dry, I really recommend this formula! If your after something more peachy and glossy that will really give your pout the wow fact then the Lip Injection Glossy in Babe Alert* (£19.00) is a must, the delicate peach shade of this gloss is just stunning for Spring and Summer and wow does this stuff plump up your lips. I do have a word of warning though, if your a bit sensitive then be a little bit careful with this, as the gloss works at plumping your lips it does intensively tingle and really warms up your lips, even when I swatched it on my hand my hand really swelled up where I'd swatched it as the gloss tried to plump up my skin. 

What's your faveourite makeup to wear during Spring/Summer beaut's! I'd love to know! 

nopin

Easter Gift Guide - Non Chocolate Edition

Hey beaut's!

Easter is fast approaching but not everyone is a chocolate lover, wait whattttt!!! So today I thought I'd share with you all a few bits and bobs that I think would make great Easter gifts for that friend or family member that doesn't like or cant eat the chocolaty stuff! As much as I am a chocoholic I think theres a great range of non chocolate items this year, quite a few beauty brands have jumped onto the beauty egg bandwagon which I think is just epic and if it's not makeup your after then theres lots of candles and cute home ware pieces around, arhh I cant handle the cuteness! 
Easter Gift Guide - Non Chocolate Edition

MUA Luxe Glow Beam Highlighting Powder Review

Hey beaut's!

I'm such a highlighter addict, it's my absolute favourite thing to apply when I'm doing my makeup and I love nothing more than walking around like a gorgeously glazed donut at all times, and when I was in Superdug a few weeks ago and spotted an MUA highlighter in the corner of my eye named 'Glow Beam' I just had to give it a whirl, and it was on offer for £2.50 instead of £5.00 so that was a brucie bonus!

Truth be told I haven't bought anything from MUA in years so I had no idea what to expect from their Luxe Glow Beam Highlighting Powder but I have to tell you straight away I absolutely love it! The packaging has a white and gold design which is simplistic and fuss free and looks super pretty on my dressing table. Whats interesting about this packaging though is how you dispense the product, it's like a grater, you have to twist the circular case in order for the highlighter to dispense from the three grooves in the top of the packaging, it gives the illusion that the highlighter is rock solid and that your shaving some off but in actual fact it's a tightly compact loose powder, it's pretty unique and I've never seen anything like it before.
The highlighter itself is in the shade Gold which is a true yellow gold which I like, the powder is so finely milled that it blends onto the skin beautifully without being chunky and the intensity is wellll....people in space can see me glowing put it that way! It looks so metallic on the skin and creates such a beautiful sheen, it does contain a slight bit of minute gold glitter but you can only really see that when the light hits it, it generally just looks like an intense golden glow most of the time!
 I've found this little beauty to be really versatile to, I've used it the centre of my eyes as an eyeshadow to make my eyes really pop and as an inner corner highlight. You can also use it on your body too and it works amazingly well when used wet with setting sprays, it really ups the ante and makes the highlighter look so bright that you need your sunnies at the ready he he! For £2.50 I cant recommend this highlighter enough, it hasn't left my makeup bag since I got it, I love it!

You can find the MUA Luxe Glow Beam Highlighting Powder in Gold for £2.50 HERE.

nopin

The Original Beauty Blender...Is It Really Worth The Hype?

Hi beaut's!

Surprisingly I'm extremely new to the original beauty blender, for years I've seen so much hype and love surrounding it but in all honestly I was always put off because of the price. I would say to myself  'surely the cheaper alternatives are going to do the exact same thing' and I've used those cheaper beauty sponges for years without many grumbles, I mean I've stumbled across a couple that are rock solid and feel like their punching me in the face when I use them but in general I've had good experiences with cheaper sponges and didn't think I really needed the original one, that was until I used the original beauty blender and wow....that was it, I was in love!
The gorgeous hot pink egg shaped sponge has been a complete game changer for me, it bounces on and blends my foundation and concealer with complete ease without leaving any streaks and makes my base makeup look so smooth, lightweight and natural and I never have any problems with my makeup looking cakey or going cakey during the day when I use my beauty blender. The sponge itself is so foamy and soft and even when it's wet and volumises it keeps that light airy softness and doesn't feel firm at all which I love, it's honestly the nicest feeling sponge I've ever tried! The shape of the sponge is amazing for all area's of the face, the top pointed tip is fine enough that it can blend around the small areas of my face like around my nose and eye contours without any effort needed, that pointed tip is also great if your fond of the 'baking' trend because it can stripe on loose powder under your contour and under your eyes really well too. The quality of the beauty blender really shines through too, my cheaper sponges ALWAYS tear or rip somehow but my beauty blender hasn't got a single mark on it so far. I've also noticed that it doesn't seem to absorb my foundation as much like my other sponges have which means less wasted product, hurrah!
Sorry to my other sponges but I've definitely been converted over to the original beauty blender, the overall look of my base makeup after using the sponge is so much smoother and natural looking than when I use my other sponges and it's so quick at blending everything in too. No matter what I use whether it's foundation, concealer, primer, powder, matte finish, dewy finish, you name it this sponge leaves that stunning finish every time! If you haven't tried a beauty blender yet then I think you need to, I mean after all it hasn't earned it's amazing reputation for nothing and I can definitely see why its so well loved now!

You can find the The Original Beauty Blender* for £17.00 HERE.

nopin

The Best Beauty Poundland Finds and Hacks!

 Hi beaut's!

I'm an absolute Poundland addict, mainly because every thing is an absolute bargain but you can actually find some amazing, good quality bits and pieces for around your home in there these days. Today I thought I would share what I do with a few of my Poundland finds, all of them are beauty related this time *well I am a beauty addict after all* he he.
Firstly how gorgeous is this little tray that I'm using for my perfumes, it's actually a mirror and not a perfume tray at all, but whilst I was browsing I spotted it and Poundland had actually stacked them up flat and immediately cute perfume tray ideas where swirling through my head. It isn't a huge mirror so you wouldn't be able to hold loads of perfumes on it, maybe just your seasonal ones but I love it. You could easily use it for makeup, nail polish and jewellery too.
Next up I have this little glass storage jar, the uses for this are literally endless from a pen pot, vase for your daffodils, cookie jar and even a cotton wool ball holder but I actually use mine as a makeup brush holder. It's a good size and fits loads of brushes within it and because it's clear glass you can find your brushes easily and it's super easy to keep clean when it gets grubby too, I love it!
Sticking to glassware I got a couple of these little trinkets which I thought where an amazing find, I use mine to store my cotton pads and cotton buds in because they look a lot nicer in my bathroom in the trinkets instead of the plastic packaging they come in. The trinkets are great for hair bands, bobby pins and jewellery too.
I spoke about these little white storage baskets on my Instagram a while ago because they are amazing for makeup storage inside my IKEA Alex drawers. You actually get two little baskets in a pack for £1.00 and you can fit five in one IKEA Alex drawer so I use mine to separate all of my makeup so I can get to everything so much quicker and easier! 
Lastly is acrylic storage, Poundland actually have a really good range of acrylic makeup storage, I remember looking on Amazon and eBay for acrylic storage and thinking 'wow that's pricey' so when I came across a few in Poundland I had to get some. I opted for a nail polish holder which you could easily use for your lipsticks too, and then two other general makeup storage holders that I use for lipsticks, lip liners and smaller palettes.

What's your best Poundland find beaut's? I'd love to know!

nopin

Simple Water Boost Sheet Mask Review

Hey beaut's!

Pamper nights are my favourite, theres nothing like snuggling up in your favourite Disney PJ's with plenty of choccies to hand, a chick flick on, nail polish at the ready and of course a face mask, and recently when my skin needed some TLC I picked up the new Simple Water Boost Sheet Mask to try!

The Simple Water Boost Mask is actually a sheet mask which are my absolute favourite type of face mask, their so easy to use as well as being fuss and mess free, all you have to do is simply remove it from the packaging, whack it on your face until you look scary and then terrify everyone who you live with for 15-20 minutes *my dog always gives me so many funny looks*, and then simply peel it off to remove it without any need of scrubbing or rinsing, perfect! 
As the name would suggest this Simple Water Boost Mask is perfect for when your skin is in need of a huge dose of moisture, it's fabulous for dehydrated skin, dryness, dullness, dry dehydration lines, tightness, and roughness. I don't know about you but my skin doesn't know whether it's coming or going at the moment with this weather we are having, the dreaded 'Beast From The East' completely dehydrated my skin so I this mask was well needed. Whilst the mask was on it felt really refreshing, cooling and was absolutely drenched in serum, personally I love this because once I take the mask off theres still plenty of serum left on my face to rub into my skin, so my skin really gets all the benefits. Once the mask was off and all the serum had soaked in I really noticed a HUGE difference, my skin was hydrated, supple, dewy, healthy looking and so smooth. The mask is also great if you suffer from sensitive skin like myself because it doesn't contain any artificial colours, perfume or harsh chemicals!

Overall I really enjoyed using this mask and it done exactly what it said on the tin or should I say sachet, my skin felt amazingly nourished and hydrated after use and I'm all about that dewy look on the skin. I'm definitely going to pop back into Superdrug and stock up on a few more of these, I find it so comforting that I've found a mask that is perfect for my sensitive skin and Simple is a brand I've used and loved for years so I'm so happy they've gone down the sheet mask route!

You can find the Simple Water Boost Sheet Mask for £3.49 HERE, although when I bought mine it was on offer in Superdrug for £1.69!

nopin

Chocolate Oreo Drip Cake Recipe

Hey beaut's!

Recently I've been making quite a few cakes for birthdays and occasions and one cake that I'm particularly chuffed with is my Chocolate Oreo Drip Cake, this has three yummy layers of rich, moist chocolaty sponge, it's filled and covered with Oreo buttercream and finished off with dark chocolate ganache and more Oreo's to decorate! I love making drip cakes, I love seeing the whole process come together and creating the chocolate drips is so satisfying, luckily for me this cake was for my father-in-laws birthday so I got to have a cheeky slice for myself and it was pretty epic even if I do say so myself!
Cake Recipe
525g plain flour
550g caster sugar
95g cocoa powder
3/4 tsp salt
1.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda
5 large eggs
350ml cold coffee (this really brings out the chocolate flavour in the cake)
350ml buttermilk
320ml vegetable oil

Ganache Recipe
150g dark chocolate chips
1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Buttercream Recipe
400g stork with butter
850g icing sugar
3-4 tablespoons of milk
2 packets of Oreo's 

How To
1. Firstly pre-heat your oven to gas mark 4 /180 and line and grease three cake tins.
2. Pop all of your dry ingredients into a bowl and mix together slighter then in a separate bowl add in all of your wet ingredients and mix. Once both your wet and dry ingredients have been mixed together add in your dry mixture to your wet and give it a good mix to combine, then divide between the three cake tins. If you have any mixture left over you can always make a few cupcakes which is what I did.
3. Whilst the cakes are cooling I like to get on with the buttercream, I give the butter a good beat and gradually add in all of the icing sugar until my buttercream is pale and fluffy, then it's time to add in an entire packet of crushed Oreo's, I used a mini blender to crush mine to a breadcrumb consistency but you can just crush them in a sandwich bag with a rolling pin if you like. Once crushed mix the Oreo's through the buttercream in stages and add a couple of tablespoons of milk into the buttercream if it becomes stiff. 
4. Once the cakes are cooled it's time to fill and crumb coat the cake, you can be quite messy at this point and just whack on the buttercream and use your scrapper to smooth down the sides, if you don't have a cake scraper a ruler works just as well. The only thing I would suggest doing is making sure your cakes are all level, if your cakes have risen with a dome shape at the top you will need to trim and flatten them off before you cover your cake.
5. Once the cake has been crumb coated whack it into the fridge for 30 minutes or so to set and then repeat again with another thin layer of buttercream and set again.
6. Then it's time for the fun drippy ganache, for this all you need to do is simply melt your chocolate chips and mix in 1 to 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, this just makes the chocolate super glossy and really runny which in term makes a great drip effect.
7. Once the chocolate and vegetable oil is mixed together I pop it into a piping bag and quickly snip off the end and drip the chocolate around the top edges of my cake first and then squeeze the remaining chocolate on the very top of my cake.
8. To finish off the cake I pipped the remaining buttercream in swirls on the top and wedged Oreo's into each swirl and them used some more crushed Oreo's to sprinkle over the top of the cake and voila!
It does sound like quite a lot of steps but it really is quite easy to make, the only time consuming parts of making this cake is the whole cooking, cooling and chilling process, other than that it's pretty easy to make and really is a showstopper for any birthday! It is quite a rich cake so one slice is plenty and it can easily serve between 12-15 people depending how thick you slice it!

Have you ever made a drip cake beaut's? What flavour did you go for? I'd love to know!

nopin

The Prettiest Phone Case For Under £3.00

Hey beaut's!

I got my shiny new iPhone 7 Plus just before the new year started and I couldn't wait to go phone case shopping for it, I wanted something that was pretty and inexpensive that also protected my phone slightly because I'm the worst when it comes to dropping my phone! 

After having a good search online I stumbled upon good ole eBay, a few scrolls later and I came across the bargain of all bargains, a gorgeous granite/marble/colour contrast phone case that ticked all of my boxes and was less than a teeny tiny £3.00, that's with postage included! What a bloody result!
When the case arrived I was in love, I mean who doesn't love a bit of pink and marble on their phone case, it's so aesthetically pleasing and perfect for those Instagram flatlay's too, how 'blogger' of me (lol)! The only thing I was worried about with this phone case was the quality, of course it's not as thick as more expensive phone cases but I actually like that because I hate bulky cases! The back also has a matte/slightly rubberised finish which means it doesn't slide straight off my bed or sofa when I put it down like previous cases have and it feels a lot more comfortable to hold too. I've had my case for around 2 months now and theres not a single scratch or mark on mine so I totally recommend it, I mean whats not to love!

You can find this little beauty HERE for £2.89 with free P&P! 

nopin

Spectrum Brushes 'The Bomb Shell' Collection Reviewed!

Hey beaut's!

Spectrum are my absolute favourite brand when it comes to makeup brushes, not only is the quality seriously impressive but all of their brushes come in the most beautiful designs and colours, and whats even better is that all of their brushes are vegan and cruelty free, I mean what more could you ask for! My Spectrum collection does already consist of their Unicorn eye brushes and the amazing Mean Girls brushes but...my new Bomb Shell brushes have to be my absolute favourites, I mean just look how stunning they are.
The Bomb Shell -Pearly Queen* set includes 12 gorgeous brushes which is all you need to create a full face of makeup including your base, eyes, lips and brows. Each brush is so pretty and aesthetically pleasing to look at, the handles are blush pink which then go into rose gold ferrels and the bristles start with that blush pink colour and finish off with hot pink tips, their so pretty and super girly, I love them so much! But that's not all, oh no, the brushes come housed in a beautiful holographic shell with a rose gold zip and detailing, complete with a gorgeous sky blue lining which keeps the brushes secure but also doubles up as a cute handbag as it has a detachable rose gold chain, how cute!  

Aside from looking drop dead gorgeous the quality of this set is amazing, all of the brushes are made from the highest quality synthetic hair which means they can all be used with cream, powder and liquid makeup. The handles are really sturdy and robust and the bristles....well the bristles are sooooo soft and fluffy and easy to work with and they blend like a dream. Even the quality of the bag is really good, it doesn't feel cheap or flimsy and that duo chrome finish is EVERYTHING!!! 
The brush set includes...
A00 - Luxe Powder Brush
C03 - Tulip Powder Brush
A02 - Angled Foundation Brush - a new, softer, version
C02 - Flat Top Contour Brush
A05 - Precision Blush Brush
B05 - Luxe Blender Brush
A07 - Colour Applicator Brush 
B06 - Tall Tapered Blender Brush
A12 - Fluffy Pencil Brush
A13 - Short Smudge Brush
A14 - Winger Definer Brush
A15 - Lip Liner Brush

The Bomb Shell brushes have also been designed to be makeup bag and travel friendly, the brush heads are full size, but the handles are slightly shorter so you can take these babes everywhere you go to keep your makeup on point at all times!
Overall I'm so impressed with this set, and to be honest I knew I would be. Each brush is so versatile and can be used in so many ways, they all work like a dream and they are easily the softest brushes I own! Whether your looking to grow your makeup brush collection or if your after a complete starter kit then I cant recommend this set enough!

You can find the Spectrum 'The Bomb Shell' Collection for £79.99 HERE.

nopin

Barry M 'Under The Sea' Nail Polish Review

Hey beaut's!

When I heard that Barry M had launched a new collection of nail paints that where mermaid themed my little mermaid loving self went straight down to Superdrug to buy a couple quicker than Ariel could say dingle hopper! I mean who doesn't want glistening, mermaid nails on a daily basis, I know I do!
The new Barry M collection is called 'Under The Sea' and contains four colour-shifting, two-toned shades. I opted for the shades Jellyfish - a gorgeous lilac with a baby blue/turquoise duo-chrome shift and Pinktail - a salmon-pinky -coral which has a stunning gold duo-chrome shift to it. These two seemed like the shades I would get the most wear out of, however I'm really lusting after the other two shades from the collection so I think I'll be needed those as well.
The formula of Jellyfish and Pinktail is lovely, they both apply evenly and smooth without any bubbling or streaking and didn't take too long to dry which is such a bonus as I hate waiting for nail polish to dry. If your wanting to wear these shades solidly by there selves then they do take quite a bit of layering up, I needed a good 3-4 good coats before they where fully opaque on my nails, however you can still get the same gorgeous effect when using them as nail polish toppers which I would recommend to be honest, it just saves on the layering up!
Overall I'm totally obsessed with these, they are so pretty to look at in the bottles but even prettier on the nails and are the perfect shades for spring/summer, I always get lots of compliments on these shades at work too, especially Pinktail, that seems to be a favourite! I really want to see a Unicorn inspired collection from Barry M now, this whole unicorn craze is huge and I think the 'Under The Sea' shimmering, duo chrome formula would work amazingly well with unicorn inspired shades! We will have to wait and see I guess gals!

You can find the Barry M Under The Sea Nail Paints for £3.99 each HERE.

nopin