What's In My Make Up Bag

Heey,

I have quite a wide collection of make up bags but I only really use them when I stay around someones house but when I'm packing my bag it would just be so much easier if it was already in a bag! It would also mean that I could carry my make up bag around town or take it to school, so I put all of my everyday make up products into this small bag which perfectly fits my make up and brushes!

Christmas present from my Auntie, the perfect size to fit the following items...

The first thing I do when starting the processes of  making my face look marginally better, is use a scrunchie to put my hair up. I think I got this from Primark in a pack of 3? It doesn't really matter as long as it gets my hair out of the way!

If you saw my most recent haul, you would know that I recently bought this foundation. I have used it almost everyday since then! I would never go back to my old foundations, maybe during the summer when I don't want such a high coverage otherwise this foundation is great! It has SPF 15, a full coverage and helps combat spots - ALL AT THE SAME TIME!!! Amazing.

Also in that haul I bought this heavy duty under eye concealer. It's very compact and has a mirror in the lid which makes this concealer so handy to chuck in your bag. In case you didn't realise, this is a cream concealer and designed for under your eyes to reduce dark circles. I love this so much and would recommend it to anyone!

If I want to spend a bit more time on my face then I use the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer and the L'Oreal La Touche Magique Concealer. The Collection concealer give a much higher coverage that I can use on spots and blemishes whereas the L'Oreal concealer give much more of a highlight effect. 

Moving onto eyes - the Benefit 'Stay Don't Stray' eye primer. I use 3 small dots on my lids and blend with my finger. Mine is in Light/Medium which is the perfect colour for me. I can defiantly see a difference if I don't use it! After a few hours without the primer, my eye shadow starts to crease and move about, but with just 3 dots, it stays on all day.

The eye shadow palette that I currently use is the Urban Decay Naked Basics. I got this for Christmas from my parents and I use 'Walk Of Shame' everyday over my eye primer and sometimes use 'Naked 2' in my crease. I did buy the Naked 2 Palette after Christmas but the colours in there aren't natural enough for school. (The massive mirror in the lid is so useful when I'm doing my make up at school).

I bought this brow pencil so long ago and I've only really got into using it recently. The brush at the end is great to shape your brows then the pencil is a great colour for me to fill in the sparser areas.

I don't really have a special order when I do my make up but when I do my mascara I love to use the Benefit 'They're Real!' Mascara. This is the tester version that I got with a Benefit set but apparently it's better than the full size. My lashes look so full and long when I use this I have nothing to compare it to!

A staple in my collection. The Stay Matte Powder is long lasting and mattifying. I've started to hit the pan so I'm not sure how long this one will last but I've had it for about 6 months so they last a really long time and they're super cheap! 

For school I use the Nivea Lip Butter in Raspberry Rose because the lip butter range it really nourishing and leaves my lips soft for hours (which I really need in these colder months) I also think it leaves a slight tint and tastes nice too otherwise I have the original Lip Butter too. 

For something a bit stronger with more colour I like to go for the BeneBalm by Benefit. I was given this in a set with the matching BeneTint and LolliTint and LolliBalm. I consistency is so nice, it is really smooth and the colour is totally build-able and blend-able! 

  

And last but not least, my perfume. I use this Just Pink' perfume that I was given from my Mum's friend and at first I didn't really like it but it has grown on me and it now my staple scent! The rose gold packaging makes my heart flutter and the size makes it perfect to carry around!

So that's it! My make up bag! If you want to see a make up looking using these products then leave a comment or give this post a +1. 

Love Liv x 

2014 Favourites | The Beauty Stuff

Heey,

2014 has gone very quickly for me. There have been some amazing days and some rubbish ones - but my favoutite place to share my thoughts and feeling has been this little blog. I have come home from school on many occasions and just cranked up my laptop to write a post about my current favourites or Lush Cosmetics review.

So in celebration of 2014 I have searched through all of my monthly favourites to create my '2014 favourites' 

Make up

Bourjois Box

At the beginning of this year I bought a Bourjois Box filled with 4 little goodies. My personal favourite was the 'Volume Glamour Max' mascara. In the box it was in a mini version and I used it until it dried out. I bought myself the bigger version and loved it just as much! It gives my lashes a lot of volume, length and makes my eyes pop.

Another Bourjois purchase this year was the Healthy Mix Serum. When I wear this serum (note: not a foundation - that's a different product) it makes my skin look much smoother and bonus: it smells amazing. I personally need only one pump to cover my whole face and I use my Real Techniques Expert face brush. I will defiantly continue using this in 2015.

Summer Make Up 

I wouldn't normally buy make up online but I did see a rather beautiful (unused) eye shadow palette on eBay: Fraulein 3*8 eye shadow palette. However I loved it. The brand was a bit unusual - I think it's German. I would say that this is my staple palette because I only really wear neutral colours so this 28 eye shadow palette was great for me. I have used this in my summer make up post.

Summer Make Up

In 2014 I went through a stage of buying magazines every week and getting quite a few freebies. My favourite was the Clinique Chubby Stick in Whompin' Watermelon. I also used this in my Summer make up post and as you can see the colour can come out shear but build-able. The colour is amazing for Summer and I will wear it until it runs out! 

Next is the Beauty Blogger Staple that everyone talks about...Rimmel Stay Matte Powder. Oh the stay matte powder -  what a wonderful product. I have talked about this before in various different posts but I don't think I have ever been more passionate about a make up item. This powder really combats the excess oil on my face and keeps it like that all day long. A savior.

Soap&Glory Supercat Liner Review

Finally for make up is my Soap&Glory Supercat Liner. I am in love with this eyeliner pen - throughout 2014 my eyeliner skills have drastically improved and I would like to say it was all because of this product. It was affordable and defiantly worth the £6 I paid for it, I think that this pen is easy to use and really long-lasting on the eyes and after about 4 months it hasn't dried up or exploded! 

Skincare

Kind to my Skin

This year I really started to look after my skin. There have been 2 items that I think really helped combat spots and blemishes - Freederm face wash and One Touch Spot Stick. Nearer the end of 2014 I was a bit slacking in a good routine and I could see a big difference. After not using this for about 3 days, my skin started getting a lot oilier and spot were coming on very quickly.

Another skincare item that I have discovered this year (and loved!) is the Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Lip Protectant I have the pot and stick version and I prefer the stick version because I hate having to put your finger in a pot and then you always have some left on your fingers (urggg!). However I loved the result so much I put that past me and for Christmas I was given the stick version. 

Fashion



I've never really been a fan of leggings but I've never really had a pair of jeans that fitted me properly. So when I found out that Primark do a surprisingly good range of jeans and jeggings that fitted me (!!!!) -  I was more than impressed. They are so comfortable to wear and go with absolutely everything! They were around £9 - £11 which is about what they're worth. Being from Primark it was never going to be amazing quality but they did last longer than expected.



In the Spring I went to Tesco with my Mum and purchased a few shoes for the Summer because I have no shoes. My favourite shoes were these grey espadrilles. I didn't take them off all Summer! If you look really closely, you can still see some tan lines from the lip of the shoe! These shoes are honestly the comfy-est shoes I have and they have lasted ages. I had to wash them a few times but when they came out of the wash, they looked brand new!



There have been a few events this year when I needed to look smart/casual so I team my Primark jeans (mentioned earlier) with this New Look Cream Scalloped Edged Top. It can be dressed up of down very easily and fits really nicely. I bought it in a 10 so that it will last longer - it's such a timeless piece. I believe the top itself was around £12, so worth it!



Finally for fashion is my Purple Purse. I bought this for 50p from my sister at a car boot sale. I love the style and it fits everything perfectly. Unfortunately I broke the clasp that shuts it completely but each section has a popper so it isn't completely ruined. However if you saw my last post (What I Got For Christmas 2014) then you would have seen that I bought a new purse with a River Island purse which I will be using in 2015.

Home & Life

I am a candle addict but sadly I'm not aloud to light them in my room, so I like to use my candle collection when I'm in the bath. My favourite scent of the year was Zoe Sugg's candle: lets glow. The scent it so subtle and the packaging look beautiful on my night stand. I will defiantly buy more next year!



Next is scent and in 2014 I used a lot of my One Direction Our Moment Perfume. I was given the 'You&I' perfume (also by One Direction) for Christmas and I really couldn't say which one I prefer! The 'Our Moment' scent is very fruity and floral whereas the 'You&I' scent has a softer fruity smell. I used the OM perfume everyday for school and special events. I would really recommend this to anyone looking for something light.



Lets have a moment of appreciation for John Green. THE author of 2014. I read 4 of his books this year and I loved them all so much and I can't compare them to any other books. My personal favourite was 'Paper Towns' which I am very excited to see in 2015 in the cinema. Obviously everyone talks about The Fault In Our Stars which I saw with my friends Amber a week before it's release date. We had to pay £12.50 EACH(!!!) but it was well worth it - so much I watched it again the next week!


Films and TV

Birthday Photos

I was lucky enough to get the Made In Chelsea box-set of series 1-5. I started getting into MIC in 2014 but because I hadn't watched the previous episodes, there were some parts I didn't understand. Now I can watch and re-watch to my hearts content and fully understand the happenings of Chelsea, London.



I was also given the Hunger Games and Catching Fire, then in November I went to see Mockingjay Part 1 with my friends. I love the story and character in the Hunger Games series and I cannot wait to see Part 2 of the final film. I also need to read the books (I know, I know, I'm a bad person). Jennifer Lawrence has defiantly been my WCW for the whole year!

Thank you so much for reading whether this is the first post you've read or this 57th. I have had a wonderful time with this little blog and I hope it can grow and grow in 2015 :)

Love Liv x

P.S Sorry this post is late, it's taken me forever to write and the English weather has not given me good lighting for the photos!

First Haul of 2015

Heey,

The first haul of 2015. What a milestone. I'm quite proud that I waited 11 days to go shopping instead of going on the 2nd or 3rd like I usually do. I spent about £35 which is quite good seen as I bought books, make up and a throw etc. 

From WH Smiths found an amazing deal: Buy 1 Get 1 For £1! It was such a great offer and there were so many books available. I found One Day by David Nicholls and The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer. I have heard great things about both of these books and I have wanted to read them for a while now. In 2015 I have challenged myself to read 30 books. So you'll be seeing a lot more books on my blog!

Next was Boots where I headed straight for the 17 make up counter. Emma Blackery has talked about the 17 On The Spot foundation on her second channel, Boxes of Foxes. It was the first time I had heard of the product but immediately wanted to buy it! The foundation is supposed to really help fight spots as well as being a full coverage foundation. I don't know how this works but I hope it does! I got the shade Soft Ivory and I believe that's the lightest one they do. It also has SPF 15 and was £6.99.

When I picked up my foundation, I noticed there was a deal on 17 make up: 2 for £8 on all 17 cosmetics. The foundation itself was £6.99 so I could get an extra product for only £1.01 more! After looking around, I went for the 17 phwoarr Paint - heavy duty under eye concealer in Fair. This wasn't something I intended to get, I'd never even heard of it! But the prospect of an heavy duty under eye cream concealer, really excites me! More news to come on that...

Primark was next on the agenda and I went there with the goals of getting a pajama top, a throw and pants. Mission accomplished.

The pajama top is blue and white with floral patterns in the number 85. I love he style of these tops and I find them the most comfortable to wear in bed. There were matching bottoms available but I have plenty of that! This top was £4 and I got it in the size S (10/12 so it's a bit more slouchy).

In my local Primark, the Primark Home range is upstairs but at the bottom on the escalator is a bucket filled with reduced home range. I found a throw for £3.90 instead of £4.50. I don't know why it was reduced because there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it. The colour goes really well with my bedding and being a neutral colour, will calm down the patterns of my sheets. Side note - softest throw ever!!!

I also bought a pack of pants and tic tacs but that's not relevant....

I hope you enjoyed this post. I love doing hauls because it means I've been shopping (a favourite activity of mine)

Love Liv x