Super Model Smile

Super Model Smile

I don't usually shop in M&S, unless it is for food, in which case I can't rave enough about their sandwiches and salads. In fact, if you are having a picnic M&S is the place to go! However apart for their divine food offerings, I tend not to shop in M&S as it is less aimed toward my age.

However for my birthday, bless her, my grandma gave me some money to spend in store. And as soon as the voucher fell out of the card I knew what I wanted to spend it on. So I marched into M&S, guided by the sparkling rose gold in the corner of the store and heading straight for the Rosie for Autograph make up collection. There is no doubt that Rosie has done incredible things for M&S, since collaborating with them a few years ago. Her lingerie and nightwear collection is beautiful, in sexy but classy way, but it was her makeup range I was desperate to try.

I've heard so many things from other bloggers raving about her makeup. Not only is it incredibly aesthetically pleasing (rose gold is always a winner in my eyes!), but it has been described as incredible quality for value.

A fair amount of time and a hand covered in swatches later I decided upon this beautiful rose gold lip glossy. The shade I chose was shade 1, Super Model Smile. Could there be a more fitting name for this product?! The product is a lip gloss/lip balm hybrid, a texture that I love. It's glossy, but not too shiny and really lovely to apply without being too sticky. And the shade is absolutely beautiful. It just so natural, but somehow really brightening. It's the perfect pinky glossy finish to a natural daytime look. And one that I have kept in my daytime makeup bag ever since I bought it.

Basically I absolutely love this product. It would definitely be in the top 5 lip colours I have ever tried! And if you have seen my lipstick/gloss collection you will know that is saying something!

I really want to try some more products from this collection. So let me know if you have any recommendations below, or which products that you would love to try!

Speak soon xx

Making a MAC Palette

Making a MAC Palette

I am so excited to be writing this post, it is literally a dream come true. It's a incredibly girlie, cliche and totally uninspiring dream to create my own MAC palette, but a dream none the less. Defo one to tick off my virtual bucket list!

From my lovely team at work I got some MAC vouchers, a perfect gift as it is a brand that I love but a little expensive that I wouldn't shop there as I could never justify spending that amount of money on makeup. But gift vouchers aren't really money are they?! So after work last week I walked down the road to the MAC store (ASOS really is the best place to work!) and treated myself.

If there is one makeup product I could never get bored of shopping for it is eye shadow palettes. And even though I always go for the same kind of shades (nudes, browns and bronze), they are just so beautiful, and I want them all. So even before I had reached the store, there was no question in my mind about what I would be spending my money on!

The idea behind this little quad, my first personal eye shadow palette was my perfect compact travel palette. I wanted an off white shade that would work perfectly in the inner corners. A light matte brown that would work as an all over natural shadow, but also a pretty crease colour. A darker brown that would work as a more dramatic crease colour but also on a thin brush as an eyeliner. And then a pretty shimmery shade that would work for both day and night.

So after a very long time staring at shadows and one beautifully painted hand later, I picked my shades.

Brule - a creamy beige satin finish with no shimmer
Satin Taupe - frosted cool tone brown with mauve undertones
Charcoal Brown - a matte cool tone taupe with some grey undertones
Brun - a satin finished dark taupe brown

I can't wait to start recreating different looks with these four beautiful shades. Possibly a few makeup looks coming soon.

And while I probably shouldn't be back in the MAC store anytime soon if you do have any other eyeshadows that you would recommend then please leave then in the comments below. Maybe my new dream will be the 16 shadow palette!

Speak soon xx

Clinique Nude Pop Mini Lipstick

Clinique Nude Pop Mini Lipstick 

I have another amazing magazine mini to tell you about. This Clinique mini lipstick came with with the December issue of Glamour magazine with the beautiful Tanya Burr on the cover. I am a huge fan of Clinique makeup and beauty products so I was desperate to get my hands on this. 

They are giving away four mini Clinique pieces with the magazine, a moisturiser, a mascara and 2 different shades of lipstick, a red and nude. While I love a bold lip for this time of year I still reach for my more natural lipsticks most often, and I really wanted to be able to add this mini one to my collection. 

The shade of this lipstick is Nude Pop and it's just a beautiful "your lips but better" shade. It's pinky with a hint of brown and has a moisturising glossy finish which I love. I think the packaging is really cute, but then I am a sucker for mini beauty products! 

This lipstick is perfect handbag size and great for a top up without even needing a mirror. I really recommend this shade if you love nude lipsticks like I do. Please let me know in the comments below if you have tried any of the other minis with the magazine. Glamour is currently only £2 which is a total bargain for Clinique products. I'm seriously considering buying a few more just for all the freebies! Definitely one to get your hands on! xx

Clinique Nude Pop Mini Lipstick

Clinique Nude Pop Mini Lipstick 

I have another amazing magazine mini to tell you about. This Clinique mini lipstick came with with the December issue of Glamour magazine with the beautiful Tanya Burr on the cover. I am a huge fan of Clinique makeup and beauty products so I was desperate to get my hands on this. 

They are giving away four mini Clinique pieces with the magazine, a moisturiser, a mascara and 2 different shades of lipstick, a red and nude. While I love a bold lip for this time of year I still reach for my more natural lipsticks most often, and I really wanted to be able to add this mini one to my collection. 

The shade of this lipstick is Nude Pop and it's just a beautiful "your lips but better" shade. It's pinky with a hint of brown and has a moisturising glossy finish which I love. I think the packaging is really cute, but then I am a sucker for mini beauty products! 

This lipstick is perfect handbag size and great for a top up without even needing a mirror. I really recommend this shade if you love nude lipsticks like I do. Please let me know in the comments below if you have tried any of the other minis with the magazine. Glamour is currently only £2 which is a total bargain for Clinique products. I'm seriously considering buying a few more just for all the freebies! Definitely one to get your hands on! xx

bareMinerals Skin Makeup

bareMinerals Skin Makeup 

For a long time now I have been having a few problems with my skin. It's not really bad but I do have a few spots and a few scars from previous blemishes. I also have pretty sensitive skin and I was starting to find that wearing quite heavy makeup to university everyday wasn't really helping my situation. For nights out and special occasions I still do wear foundation that makes my skin look flawless but I wanted something lighter that I could wear on a daily basis with my makeup looking cakey or clogging my pores. 

I'd heard a lot about mineral makeup before and it was actually recommend to me by my dermatologist that I went to see a few months ago. She described it as makeup that was good for you skin and said that in the long term it may even help to clear my skin. At first I had my worries. Mineral makeup seemed to me like something for people with perfect skin that just wanted to make it look even more flawless. And I had nowhere near perfect skin and the reason that I wore foundation was to hide my blemishes and I didn't think that mineral makeup would be able to give me the coverage that I wanted. 

During the Christmas break I went with my mum to the bareMinerals counter to ask them a few questions and have a look at the products. The lady was so helpful and asked me a few questions about my skin type before trying a few different shades on me to help my find the perfect colour match. I left with two different shades on each half on my face (not really visible) and was advised to go outside, have a look and see which colour I preferred. I also wanted to have a chance to think about it and really deicide if this is what I wanted to spend quite a bit of money on. 

I came back the next day and bought the slightly darker shade of powder and the primer and apart from a couple of nights out it is all that I have worn on my skin since. 

It is definitely a much lighter coverage than I was previously wearing but it still evens out my skin and covers most of what I want to be covered. What I really love about this though is how natural it looks. Often it doesn't look like I am wearing any skin makeup at all. There are no visible brush strokes or cakey areas it just looks and feels like my own skin. I still do have to wear a little bit of concealer under my eyes and on a few blemishes but I was still doing that when I wore foundation anyway. Also unlike foundation which seams to slide off your face during the day this has a really long lasting power. 

Here is quite a close up picture of me wearing the makeup. As you can see my skin isn't at all perfect but the makeup does look really natural and you can still see my skin through the makeup. 

Hope this post was helpful to some of you. I really would recommend mineral makeup like these for something to wear on a daily basis. They just look and feel so natural and I actually think since I have been wearing this my skin has started to improve slightly. Also I have been using both of these nearly everyday for 2 months now and I can tell these are going to last em a long time, which is good as they weren't exactly the cheapest makeup that I have ever bought! xx

bareMinerals Skin Makeup

bareMinerals Skin Makeup 

For a long time now I have been having a few problems with my skin. It's not really bad but I do have a few spots and a few scars from previous blemishes. I also have pretty sensitive skin and I was starting to find that wearing quite heavy makeup to university everyday wasn't really helping my situation. For nights out and special occasions I still do wear foundation that makes my skin look flawless but I wanted something lighter that I could wear on a daily basis with my makeup looking cakey or clogging my pores. 

I'd heard a lot about mineral makeup before and it was actually recommend to me by my dermatologist that I went to see a few months ago. She described it as makeup that was good for you skin and said that in the long term it may even help to clear my skin. At first I had my worries. Mineral makeup seemed to me like something for people with perfect skin that just wanted to make it look even more flawless. And I had nowhere near perfect skin and the reason that I wore foundation was to hide my blemishes and I didn't think that mineral makeup would be able to give me the coverage that I wanted. 

During the Christmas break I went with my mum to the bareMinerals counter to ask them a few questions and have a look at the products. The lady was so helpful and asked me a few questions about my skin type before trying a few different shades on me to help my find the perfect colour match. I left with two different shades on each half on my face (not really visible) and was advised to go outside, have a look and see which colour I preferred. I also wanted to have a chance to think about it and really deicide if this is what I wanted to spend quite a bit of money on. 

I came back the next day and bought the slightly darker shade of powder and the primer and apart from a couple of nights out it is all that I have worn on my skin since. 

It is definitely a much lighter coverage than I was previously wearing but it still evens out my skin and covers most of what I want to be covered. What I really love about this though is how natural it looks. Often it doesn't look like I am wearing any skin makeup at all. There are no visible brush strokes or cakey areas it just looks and feels like my own skin. I still do have to wear a little bit of concealer under my eyes and on a few blemishes but I was still doing that when I wore foundation anyway. Also unlike foundation which seams to slide off your face during the day this has a really long lasting power. 

Here is quite a close up picture of me wearing the makeup. As you can see my skin isn't at all perfect but the makeup does look really natural and you can still see my skin through the makeup. 

Hope this post was helpful to some of you. I really would recommend mineral makeup like these for something to wear on a daily basis. They just look and feel so natural and I actually think since I have been wearing this my skin has started to improve slightly. Also I have been using both of these nearly everyday for 2 months now and I can tell these are going to last em a long time, which is good as they weren't exactly the cheapest makeup that I have ever bought! xx

Too Faced Boudoir Eyes Palette

Too Faced Boudoir Eyes Palette 

This is the beautiful Too Faced Boudoir Eyes palette that I was lucky enough to receive for Christmas. It is quickly becoming one of my most used palettes and I wanted to share with you a little review and some images. 

Firstly the packaging of the palette is beyond beautiful with the pretty pastel colours and details. I also love the fact that it is a tin as it is easy to clean, very hard to break and has a satisfying click close meaning the palette won't just open in your bag. 

Inside the palette there are 12 colours, so the palette is nice and compact for the wide colour range. If I was going away for the weekend then this is all that I would need to take. The 3 shades on the left are all about double the size of the others as there are the natural base colours that you are likely to use on a more regular basis. 

The colour range is also beautiful and such a perfect day and night time palette. The shades are all slightly glittery but range in the amount of glitter pigments. Most of the colours are beige and pinky shades but there is also a grey, a purple colour and a glittery black. The shades are all such beautiful quality and are really blendable and pigmented. 

In the buff - this is the lightest and most matte of all the shades and is a creamy colour. I like to use this shade along my brown bone and in the inner corner of my eye for a brightening effect. 

Satin sheets - this is a beautiful pale pink with a gold shimmer running through it. I wear this one quite often all over my lids as it is a great everyday shade but can also be dressed up with a darker crease colour for the evening.

Birthday suit - this is by far my most worn colour in the whole palette. It's a really light and shimmery goldy beige colour which makes it perfect for an everyday natural eye look. I usually wear this all over the lids with something matte brown in my crease. 

Fuzzy handcuffs - this is very similar to the shade satin sheets but without the gold shimmer. So this would be a perfect base and everyday colour and looks very natural.

Sugar walls - if you were to mix satin sheets and birthday suit I think that this is the colour that you would get. It is one of the most shimmery colours in the palette and also has some slightly larger glitter running through. The colour is subtle and natural but the glitter adds a little bit of something extra making it perfect for day or evening. 

Lap dance - this is a slightly darker and more purpley version of birthday suit. I like to wear birthday suit all over my lid and then use this in the outer corner and the crease to add a bit more depth. 

Voulez - vous - this is a gorgeous shimmery dark purple colour. I love this for evening as it is a little different but just looks so beautiful (especially on brown and green eyes). This looks lovely all over the lid or just as an outer corner and crease colour. 

Garter belt - this is an almost matte grey shade. It's quite a simple colour but it really ties the palette together. It works as a crease colour for all of the lighter shades or as a base colour for voulez-vous and French tickler. 

French tickler - this is a black shade with a gold shimmer. It's super pigmented so you hardly need any on your brush and it is perfect for a really smokey eye evening look. 

Overall I think this is a really amazing palette. It's definitely as good as my Urban Decay Naked 2 palette with the same number of shades but smaller packaging and slightly cheaper. This is one of the more high end makeup pieces that I own but I really do think that you pay for quality and this has become such a staple for me. 

This palette usually retails for £29 but lucky for you I have just found it at Debenhams for 10% off!
Boudoir Eyes Palette 

xx

Too Faced Boudoir Eyes Palette

Too Faced Boudoir Eyes Palette 

This is the beautiful Too Faced Boudoir Eyes palette that I was lucky enough to receive for Christmas. It is quickly becoming one of my most used palettes and I wanted to share with you a little review and some images. 

Firstly the packaging of the palette is beyond beautiful with the pretty pastel colours and details. I also love the fact that it is a tin as it is easy to clean, very hard to break and has a satisfying click close meaning the palette won't just open in your bag. 

Inside the palette there are 12 colours, so the palette is nice and compact for the wide colour range. If I was going away for the weekend then this is all that I would need to take. The 3 shades on the left are all about double the size of the others as there are the natural base colours that you are likely to use on a more regular basis. 

The colour range is also beautiful and such a perfect day and night time palette. The shades are all slightly glittery but range in the amount of glitter pigments. Most of the colours are beige and pinky shades but there is also a grey, a purple colour and a glittery black. The shades are all such beautiful quality and are really blendable and pigmented. 

In the buff - this is the lightest and most matte of all the shades and is a creamy colour. I like to use this shade along my brown bone and in the inner corner of my eye for a brightening effect. 

Satin sheets - this is a beautiful pale pink with a gold shimmer running through it. I wear this one quite often all over my lids as it is a great everyday shade but can also be dressed up with a darker crease colour for the evening.

Birthday suit - this is by far my most worn colour in the whole palette. It's a really light and shimmery goldy beige colour which makes it perfect for an everyday natural eye look. I usually wear this all over the lids with something matte brown in my crease. 

Fuzzy handcuffs - this is very similar to the shade satin sheets but without the gold shimmer. So this would be a perfect base and everyday colour and looks very natural.

Sugar walls - if you were to mix satin sheets and birthday suit I think that this is the colour that you would get. It is one of the most shimmery colours in the palette and also has some slightly larger glitter running through. The colour is subtle and natural but the glitter adds a little bit of something extra making it perfect for day or evening. 

Lap dance - this is a slightly darker and more purpley version of birthday suit. I like to wear birthday suit all over my lid and then use this in the outer corner and the crease to add a bit more depth. 

Voulez - vous - this is a gorgeous shimmery dark purple colour. I love this for evening as it is a little different but just looks so beautiful (especially on brown and green eyes). This looks lovely all over the lid or just as an outer corner and crease colour. 

Garter belt - this is an almost matte grey shade. It's quite a simple colour but it really ties the palette together. It works as a crease colour for all of the lighter shades or as a base colour for voulez-vous and French tickler. 

French tickler - this is a black shade with a gold shimmer. It's super pigmented so you hardly need any on your brush and it is perfect for a really smokey eye evening look. 

Overall I think this is a really amazing palette. It's definitely as good as my Urban Decay Naked 2 palette with the same number of shades but smaller packaging and slightly cheaper. This is one of the more high end makeup pieces that I own but I really do think that you pay for quality and this has become such a staple for me. 

This palette usually retails for £29 but lucky for you I have just found it at Debenhams for 10% off!
Boudoir Eyes Palette 

xx

Olivia Palermo Inspired Natural Makeup

Olivia Palermo Inspired Natural Makeup

Olivia Palermo has been a huge girl crush of mine for a long time. To me she is just so classy, feminine and sophisticated and has an incredible sense of style. I've always been inspired by how she dresses but recently while scrolling through photos of her on weheartit it was her makeup that really caught my attention. I really loved her natrual look with glowing skin, a subtle brown smokey eye and a nude glossy lip.

Apart from brown hair and brown eyes I don't look anything like her and this makeup look isn't an exact copy of a photo just inspiration from several of them. All products that I am using are from the drug store. 

Face: 
MaXfactor face finity all day primer
Rimmel wake me up foundation
Rimmel wake me up concealer
Collection lasting perfection concealer 
Bourjois chocolate bronzer
Sleek blusher - Suede

Eyes and eyebrows
Collection work the colour eyebrow kit
Natural collection eyeshadows - milk chocolate and crushed walnut
Loreal matte eyeshadow - 106 breaking nude
MUA undress me too eyeshadow palette - black shade used as eyeliner
Natural collection eyeliner (waterline) - Medium brown 
The Body Shop define and lengthen mascara

Lips
Deluxe lipstick - Charleston 03

Hope you liked this post. A couple of these products are new to me so look forward to some detailed reviews coming up soon :) xx

Olivia Palermo Inspired Natural Makeup

Olivia Palermo Inspired Natural Makeup

Olivia Palermo has been a huge girl crush of mine for a long time. To me she is just so classy, feminine and sophisticated and has an incredible sense of style. I've always been inspired by how she dresses but recently while scrolling through photos of her on weheartit it was her makeup that really caught my attention. I really loved her natrual look with glowing skin, a subtle brown smokey eye and a nude glossy lip.

Apart from brown hair and brown eyes I don't look anything like her and this makeup look isn't an exact copy of a photo just inspiration from several of them. All products that I am using are from the drug store. 

Face: 
MaXfactor face finity all day primer
Rimmel wake me up foundation
Rimmel wake me up concealer
Collection lasting perfection concealer 
Bourjois chocolate bronzer
Sleek blusher - Suede

Eyes and eyebrows
Collection work the colour eyebrow kit
Natural collection eyeshadows - milk chocolate and crushed walnut
Loreal matte eyeshadow - 106 breaking nude
MUA undress me too eyeshadow palette - black shade used as eyeliner
Natural collection eyeliner (waterline) - Medium brown 
The Body Shop define and lengthen mascara

Lips
Deluxe lipstick - Charleston 03

Hope you liked this post. A couple of these products are new to me so look forward to some detailed reviews coming up soon :) xx

Natural Barely There Makeup Look

Natural Barely There Makeup Look

So this holiday has basically just been me sitting at my desk trying to revise. And because I have barely been leaving the house most days I have just been in lounge pants with a top knot and no makeup. However yesterday I went out for lunch with a friend that I have know since I was about 3 for a catch up. Going days without doing my makeup actually make me even more excited to finally get to sit in front of the mirror. But as this was only a lunch date and it was sunny I wanted a look that was really natural and light on my skin. This look is very similar to the makeup that I wear to school and I love how quick and easy it is to do. 

Firstly I used a small amount of my Clinique sample moisturiser all over my face to prep my skin. Afterwards I used my Rimmel London matte BB cream on my skin as a light cover up. I fell in love with this stuff from my first use but I don't want to talk anymore about it now as I think it really deserves it's own blog post! Then I concealed a few blemishes, spot scars and my dark circles with my favourite concealer which is the Collection lasting perfection concealer. Which reminds me, have you guys read my last blog post on how to reduce dark circles, if not you can check it out here. 

Afterwards I used a tip which I got from a recent Tanya Burr video which is to use bronzer as an eyeshadow to warm up the skin and look really natural. Like Tanya I have the Bourjois chocolate bronzer which I sweeped over my lids and then along my lower lash line. As we were keeping this makeup look really simple I then left my eyeshadow at that. I used a brown eye liner pencil to then outline the whole of my eye really lightly. I had never actually tried this before but I think it really makes the eyes too bigger and brighter. And I would definitely stick to brown as it is a lot more natural that black, don't press too hard and try to keep the mine as thin as possible. I then curled my eyelashes using my No7 curlers and then did a few strokes of my Clinique high impact mascara. 

To complete the look I decided not to fill my eyebrows in but just set them in place using the collection clear mascara. I then used the same bronzer to define my cheekbones (or lack of!) and warm up the rest on my face. To finish I applied a tiny amount of Rimmel soft colour blush in pink rose to my cheeks and my Deluxe lipstick in the shade 03 Charleston. 

So I hope you this post. Let me know if you would like to see more makeup looks in the comments below. I'm not the most out there or experimental when it comes to make up but I do like to try out new looks and see what I thing works. So hopefully there will be more of these types of posts in the future. xx 

Natural Barely There Makeup Look

Natural Barely There Makeup Look

So this holiday has basically just been me sitting at my desk trying to revise. And because I have barely been leaving the house most days I have just been in lounge pants with a top knot and no makeup. However yesterday I went out for lunch with a friend that I have know since I was about 3 for a catch up. Going days without doing my makeup actually make me even more excited to finally get to sit in front of the mirror. But as this was only a lunch date and it was sunny I wanted a look that was really natural and light on my skin. This look is very similar to the makeup that I wear to school and I love how quick and easy it is to do. 

Firstly I used a small amount of my Clinique sample moisturiser all over my face to prep my skin. Afterwards I used my Rimmel London matte BB cream on my skin as a light cover up. I fell in love with this stuff from my first use but I don't want to talk anymore about it now as I think it really deserves it's own blog post! Then I concealed a few blemishes, spot scars and my dark circles with my favourite concealer which is the Collection lasting perfection concealer. Which reminds me, have you guys read my last blog post on how to reduce dark circles, if not you can check it out here. 

Afterwards I used a tip which I got from a recent Tanya Burr video which is to use bronzer as an eyeshadow to warm up the skin and look really natural. Like Tanya I have the Bourjois chocolate bronzer which I sweeped over my lids and then along my lower lash line. As we were keeping this makeup look really simple I then left my eyeshadow at that. I used a brown eye liner pencil to then outline the whole of my eye really lightly. I had never actually tried this before but I think it really makes the eyes too bigger and brighter. And I would definitely stick to brown as it is a lot more natural that black, don't press too hard and try to keep the mine as thin as possible. I then curled my eyelashes using my No7 curlers and then did a few strokes of my Clinique high impact mascara. 

To complete the look I decided not to fill my eyebrows in but just set them in place using the collection clear mascara. I then used the same bronzer to define my cheekbones (or lack of!) and warm up the rest on my face. To finish I applied a tiny amount of Rimmel soft colour blush in pink rose to my cheeks and my Deluxe lipstick in the shade 03 Charleston. 

So I hope you this post. Let me know if you would like to see more makeup looks in the comments below. I'm not the most out there or experimental when it comes to make up but I do like to try out new looks and see what I thing works. So hopefully there will be more of these types of posts in the future. xx