Back To School Beauty Essentials

School/college is just about to start back for some of you guys so I thought I’d put together a little post on my beauty essentials for school. I’ve also done a back to school make up look here if you’d like to read that too.
I like to take a little make up bag in my my handbag to college with me including these items and a few little extras, they’re great to have on you for touch ups and emergencies.

• The first essential every girl needs in their bag is some hand sanitiser. I carry one of these everywhere! There are so many germs in schools and a one squirt of a sanitiser before eating your dinner can stop you picking up any nasty bugs etc. I use the Primark one which is a bargain at 69p!
• For people who do P.E(gym) at school I think it’s a great idea to keep a mascara and concealer in their bag to touch up afterwards. You can’t go wrong with the Collection concealer and the Loreal Million Lashes mascara.
• Next up is a powder. This is a must for people with oily skin, schools and colleges can be very humid and warm meaning you’re going to be getting oily throughout the day. To keep the oil at bay keep a powder in your bag for touch ups when needed.
• It’s a good idea to keep whatever you’re wearing on your lips that day in your bag so you can re apply it after lunch. I think the Maybeline Baby Lips and Body Shop Tinted Lips Balms are great for school as they add colour whilst keeping your lips moisturised. My favourite ones are cherry me and orange.
• It’s always handy to keep a pocket mirror on you at school so you can check for oiliness and to touch ups throughout the day.

•I hate having dry hands and always keep my Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Hand Cream in my bag to use if I need to moisturise my hands. I guarantee if you get a hand cream out of your bag someone else will ask you can they use some too!
• Last but not least you can’t forget to throw some bobbles, bobby pins and chewing gum in your bag.

are there any other school beauty essentials you can think of?

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water V’s Nivea 3 In 1 Micellar Cleansing Water

Micellar cleansing waters are all the hype at the moment and I for one am a big fan. It started with the infamous bioderma which I haven’t tried but I do think it’s slightly overpriced for what it is, especially as there are so many cheaper versions on the market now. I think part of the reason cleansing waters are so popular is the fact they are so simple to use, they’re great for the lazy person inside everyone as you don’t have to rinse your face or pitch about with oils and creams. You simply just apply some of the cleansing water on to a cotton pad and wipe it over your face to remove all your make up and to cleanse your face.
I’ve tried out a good few cleansing waters over the recent months but I’ve now found my two favourites and I thought I’d do a little comparison.

The Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water retails at 3.99 for 400ml and the Nivea Daily Essentials 3 In 1 Sensitive Micellar Cleansing Water retails at £2.03 for 200ml. The Garnier cleanser is great value as you get 400ml, it does say on the bottle this is 200 uses worth which I personally think is a bit of an exaggeration but I have gone through a bottle before and it’s lasted me a good month and a half. The actual formula is surprisingly good at removing every bit of you make up and giving a deep cleanse, the one thing I would say though is that compared to the Nivea one this feels a lot harsher on the skin. The Nivea cleaning water feels very soft and moisturizing when you apply it but it doesn’t give such a deep clean feeling as the Garnier one. Both products have near the exact same ingredients but the Nivea cleanser has grape seed oil which is what I think gives it the softer and more mmoisturizing feel on the skin.
Overall I think the Nivea cleanser is the slightly better product simply due to the fact it feels softer on the skin but the Garnier cleanser is the best value due to the amount of product you get for the price, I do feel as though most Micellar waters do pretty much the same job so my advice would be to just get the one that’s going to be the best value.

Estée Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Waterproof Mascara

After receiving a sample of the original sumptuous extreme mascara and falling in love with it, I picked up a full sized one in waterproof as my mascara always seems to smudge throughout the day. I’m going to start by saying this mascara is not cheap by all means, it’s priced at £23 which is expensive, but mascara is one of those make up products that I’m willing to spend more money on to get better quality and results.

 

The Wand

The wand on this mascara is quite big, and can look quite daunting when you first open it but the length of the wand makes it so easy to fully cover your lashes in one coat. As big as the want is, I find it easy to use on the inner comer lashes too which with most bigger wands is impossible. When it comes to the bottom lashes the wand is unfortunately just way too big. Due to the size on it the wand just swaps the lower lashes and causes major panda eyes.

The Formula

The formula of this mascara is very wet but it dries quickly and doesn’t transfer on to your eyelids. The mascara not only adds massive amount of volume to your lashes it also makes them look up to 10x longer. I unfortunately don’t have the longest lashes but when I’ve used this mascara I regularly get compliments on how long my lashes look. The product claims to never clump your lashes and even after I have applied 4/5 coats I haven’t experienced clumping of any kind, my lashes always feel lightweight and I can rub and tug at my eyes without experiencing any flakiness. This is probably one of the best waterproof mascaras I have ever used! Not only does it not smudge or transfer in hot weather or when I am sweaty, it doesn’t come off whilst in the shower, under water or with my regular cleaning water, which brings me on to how hard it is to remove. Being waterproof you obviously expect it not to come off easily which is a good thing, but this mascara will only come off your eyelashes with a lot of eye make up remover and tugging. I like to put some of my No7 eye make up remover on a cotton pad and place it on my eyes for around 30 seconds or so and then rub it off. So if you’re looking for a mascara that adds massive amount of length to your lashes, doesn’t budge all day and is able to be layered without clumping the Estée Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara is for you.

Product: 8/10
Value: 7/10
Ease of Use: 3.5/5
Packaging:5/5

Natural School/College Make Up Tutorial

September is fast approaching which means so is the start of a new school/college year, so I thought I’d do a post on what make up I would typically wear to college or when I’m not doing anything special. I know this look may not be natural to some people as it does involve a little eyeshadow, but the make up does look very light and natural looking. It’s very easy to do and only takes around 10 minutes which is perfect when you don’t have much time in the morning.

So on with the tutorial..
I started by applying some Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation with a Real Techniques Buffing Brush. I honestly could not recommend this foundation enough! It’s the perfect every day coverage, really moisturising (great for dry skin) and lasts a decent amount of time.
After I have applied my foundation I move on to my eyebrows. When I’m going for a more natural look I like to use the lighter shade from my holy grail Brows A Go-Go Kit. (If your school is strict or you don’t like wearing eyeshadow you can skip this step) I then applied some eye primer and the highlighter and contour shade from the Sleek Contour Kit on my eyes, I started by putting the highlighter all over my lid and inner corners and then lightly applying the darker contour shade into the crease. Then you can just apply your favourite mascara, I used the Estée Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara.This just opens up your eyes and gives them a little definition but is still natural enough for school/college.

Next up is concealer, I applied some a small amount of the Mac Pro Longwear under my eyes and blended it in with the Real Techniques Contour Brush. A cheaper alternative to this is the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, it’s perfect for every day use and has amazing coverage! Now is the time I like to powder. Depending on your personal preference you don’t have to powder but I think for school/college it’s essential. It’ll keep your make up on for a lot longer and stop you getting oily throughout the day. Bronzer is next aka my favourite step…I don’t feel the need to go all out and contour for college so I take my cheap and cheerful (but amazing) NYC Smooth Skin Sunny Bronzer on a big fluffy face brush and bronze my cheekbones and temples. Then on to blush which I personally think is the most important for a natural look as it makes you appear more awake (which is what you need in the mornings). I like to use a small dust of my Sleek Rose Gold Blush.

Last but not least it’s onto the lips. You don’t want to use anything high maintenance or in your face when you’re going for a natural look, lipgloss’ or a lip balms are perfect for school/college. For this look I used the Rimmel Vinyl Bronze High Shine Lipgloss, it’s a sheer pink gloss and keeps the look very natural and pretty.

Mac Pro Longwear Concealer

I finally picked up the Mac Pro Longwear concealer a few weeks ago and I am so so glad I did! I got the colour NC15 as I wanted to use it to highlight my under eye, this shade is perfect and I don’t find it that yellow compared to other NC products. I’ve been a huge fan of the Pro Long wear Foundation for a while now, and ever since I’ve wanted to try the concealer of the same name. The foundation is incredibly long wearing and doesn’t budge so I wanted to see if the concealer could do that same.

The Product
Even though I don’t suffer with the worst under eye circles or anything, this does completely hide any darkness I have and brightens up the area giving it a highlighted affect. I can imagine this being a holy grail product to many people with dark under eyes as it does mask any problems you have.
If I’m being honest I didn’t expect this concealer to last as long as the Pro Longwear foundation and I did think it would crease towards the end of the day. But to my amazement, after a full days wear there was no creasing, patchiness or dryness. It looked exactly the same as it did when I first applied it!
I’ve read a few reviews saying that they find this concealer to be drying. As I suffer with dry skin, I was worried that this stuff would cling to the dry patches under my eyes, but it doesn’t at all! I find that as long as my skin is moisturised before hand, it glides on and actually feels quite moisturising. Compared to the infamous Collection concealer I find this a lot less drying.

The Packaging
The one problem I have with the concealer is the packaging. It comes in a small glass bottle with a pump that dispenses way too much product for one use. During the first few days of using it I wasted a lot of product as I just didn’t need it all, but after a few days if you only do a half pump ( don’t press the pump all the way down) it should give you the perfect amount of product. If you still feel as though it’s dispensing too much I’d recommend you pumping some into a small travel pot and using it from there and then keeping any left over for next time.
Packaging: 4/10
Colour: 9/10
Overall: 9.5/10

Beauty Blogger Of The Month Award

Around a week ago I was notified that I’d been nominated for the beauty blogger of the month award by Honor Recommends, who I’d like to say a huge thank you to! This award was created by Cecilias Corner and I think it’s a great way to recognise beauty bloggers.

Now onto my answers to the 7 questions set by Cecilia.

Where does your makeup inspiration come from?

A: I started wearing make up from a very young age(around 11), I’d always be told off for spending too long putting on mascara and that I didn’t need to bother at that age. My love and inspiration for make up definitely comes from the beauty community on YouTube though. At the age of 14/15 I started watching people such as FleurDeForce, Sammy Marie and MacBarbie107 and I remember wanting to buy everything they talked about and I followed all of their tutorials. Even now 3 years later I still watch beauty gurus and get tips and tricks from them, I think it’s a great way to learn about make up!

What are 3 of your makeup Holy Grail products you cannot live without?

A: Hmmm. Definitely my Naked palettes as whenever I’m wearing eyeshadow I will without fail be wearing at least one shade from those palettes.
Another product that I absolutely love is Mac’s Pro Longwear foundation, I just think that it’s the most perfect combination of matte and sheer and it provides excellent coverage.
For the third product I’m going to go with my Benefits Brows A Go Go. I’ve used this eyebrow kit for over 2 years now and I can’t imagine using anything else on my brows, although I must say when it does finally run out i am going to search for an alternative because it’s just so expensive.

What is your makeup signature look which you have on most of the time?

A: The make up look that I wear more than anything else is a smokey eye using half baked and buck from the Naked palette and a nude lip using Mac Creme Cup. I just think it’s a really pretty effortless look.

Let us know your favourite makeup brands?

A: Umm this is a hard one because I don’t have one stand out brand that I own a lot of make up from. But I’m going to say Rimmel, Sleek and Mac.

Your ultimate makeup pet peeve?

A: I could go on for a while but my top make pet peeve is people who don’t fill in their eyebrows or people who fill them in really really badly (the sharpie look). There’s just no excuse with the amount of good brow products on the market these days.

You’ve heard about all the hype on this makeup item, bought it, tried it and don’t understand what all the fuss is about…Name that product!

A: Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream, I bought this stuff in a trio on the plane back last year and I think I’ve used it about 5 times since. I really don’t get the big fuss about it?

Concealer OR foundation ONLY for the rest of your life. Choose one and tell us the reason!

A: Ooo tough one. I’m going to say foundation just because I feel like if you’re using a good enough one you sometimes don’t need concealer. I’m lucky enough not to suffer with dark under eye circles or many spots so I only really use it to highlight the under eye area.

My Nominees:
A Casual Beauty

Say Hello To Gorgeous

Vintage Ghosts

Yellow Elephant Beauty

Zoe Marie Beauty

Anxiously Bold

A Beauty Obsession

Wearable Green Smokey Eye

I decided to do something different with my make up today as I always stick with neutral browns and greys. Whilst looking through my palettes I noticed I have a lot of pretty green shades and attempted to create a smokey eye with them. I finished the eye look with winged liner and Mac’s Creme cup and I’m really pleased with the final look. As you will be able to tell the look is easy to create and only took around five minutes to do on both eyes.

Method
I started out by applying the darkest matte green shade from the Elf Little Book Of Shadows Palette (all shades used are circled in picture above) to my crease and blended it out. I then used a shimmery light green shadow from an old Accessorise Palette on my lid followed by a dark khaki shade in the outer v of my lid. To give the look a little more depth I took a brown shadow from the Accessorise Palette and lightly blended it through my crease to bring the look together.
Finally I applied some liquid eyeliner, made a small flick and applied some of my favourite Estée Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara.

Are there any other make up looks you would like me to do a post on?

August Wishlist

1. Naked 3 Palette
I think I may have featured this in a wishlist before but I still haven’t managed to get it. Lately I’ve been getting into more pink shimmery shades and the Naked 3 is full of shades exactly like that, I may wait around for a bit and put it on my Christmas list instead though.

2. Elf Cream Contour Kit
On days/nights where I want my make up to look more dramatic I like to use a cream bronzer as my contour shade. The one I’m using doesn’t last as long as I’d like it to and I’m on the look out for a good budget one. I have gone gone to purchase this contour kit before but it always seems to be sold out, hopefully I’ll have more luck finding it soon.

3. Wet N Wild Sugar Plumb Fairy
Autumn isn’t too far off and I’m already lusting after new dark lip colours, I always hear people comparing the Wet N Wild lipstick in Sugar Plumb Fairy to Mac Rebel which I really want to try out. As I’m not sure if Rebel will suit me, I’m thinking of getting this shade first to try it out as it’s much cheaper.

4. Sleek Eyebrow Kit
I’m unfortunately reaching the end of my benefit brows a go go kit, (noooo) and as much I love it with all my heart it is a lot of money to spend on a product for your eyebrows. So I’m now on the hunt for a cheaper alternative and that’s where I stumbled upon the Sleek eyebrow kit. I’m a huge fan of sleek products and own a few, this is over half the price of the Benefit one so I may have found my next purchase.

5. Soap & Glory Solar Powder
I’ve not actually tried much from the Soap & Glory make up range but i always here such good things about their products. In particular the solar powder, having a fairer skin tone the shade of this looks perfect, it’s not too dark or light and would work wonderful as a subtle contour.

6. Soap & Glory Brow Archery
I actually heard about this product through Gabby & Zoe (Velvetgh0st & Zoella), they both use it and highly recommend it in their videos. I’ve never really been into eyebrow pencils as I feel they can look a bit harsh but the felt tip side of it intrigues me.

Have you guys followed me on bloglovin’ yet? I’d really love if you could as it helps me out a lot 🙂

July Favourites

I swear it only seems like last week I was writing my June favourites!? I’m so glad that the weeks are going by quick though as I’m so excited to start back college and not be bored everyday.
I picked up some new products this month that have certainly been favourites over the past few weeks. I’ve also been watching a lot of Netflix since I’ve had time off and have discovered a new favourite tv show!

Beauty Favourites

Mac Prolongwear Concealer

I finally got around to purchasing this a couple of weeks ago and I am still trying it out so there’ll be a full review on it sometime next week. But from what I’ve used so far I’m loving it! It’s really high coverage, does not crease even after a full days wear and beautifully highlights under the eye area.

Elizabeth Arden Mousse Foundation
I actually used to really dislike this product and would never use it alone as a foundation, but lately I’ve been it with my pro longwear foundation and it creates a lovely glow to my skin as well as adding more colour.

Kylie Minogue Darling Perfume
I’ve been running low on perfumes lately and my mother got me this one, which is one of her favourites at the beginning of the month. It’s a more grown up scent with woody undertones and is on the cheaper side which is great!

Real Techniques Buffing Brush
I’m a big fan of the Real Techniques brushes and I have owned the buffing brush for a good year now. I find that this brush works really well with my current foundation mix, and I can get a good full coverage with it.

Non Beauty Favourites

Primark Sweet Vanilla & Coconut Candle
I picked up this candle during a recent trip to Primark for £2. I honestly can’t stop smelling it and once it’s lit leaves the most beautiful vanilla scent in the room, I’m addicted!

Orange Is The New Black
I know I’m rather late on the bandwagon with this show and that everyone and their mother loves it! Even after seeing so many people rave about I didn’t think I’d be a fan as I’m more into Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars etc. But seeing as I have a lot of free time at the moment I thought I’d see what the fuss is about, and wow! I’m addicted! I highly recommend it to you all.

Velvetgh0st
My favourite YouTuber this month is Gabbby from Velvetgh0st, I love her upbeat personality and her huge cat! She uploads three times a week and you can always see how much effort she puts into her videos.