FIVE PRODUCTS FOR: THAT PERFECT RED LIP

Okay, so we all know that it's such a pain to get that Taylor-Swift-esque red lip down to a tea, but here are my top 5 products to help you along the way. 

Firstly, your lips are gonna need prepping and for this, I definitely recommend the lip scrubs from Lush, particularly the Bubblegum flavour. They are really sweet and effective and (total bonus), due to them solely being made from all yummy ingredients, you just lick off the evidence. MMMM. 

After this, you're going to want to pop a bit of lip balm on, just to keep your lips soft and supple. No one likes a dry, flaky lip- especially not when it's going to be the focus of attention, right?! My tip; do these two steps before you do your foundation and eye makeup, leaving your lippy 'til last giving the lipbalm some time to work it's magic. I'd suggest using either the Carmex (pictured) or Burt's Bees. I've tried that many lipbalms and these are the only two that make any change to my lips!

So, now we add some colour.. Firstly, you're going to want to take a lip liner. You can pick these Natural Collection liners up from your local Boots store for under £2, although if you're looking for something a little more long-wearing, I would also recommend the Maybelline Color Stay pencils- they are fab! It's completely up to you, but I do prefer (especially with the red lip) to over-outline my lips ever so slightly, just because my lips are very thin. Pleeeease, please don't go overboard, we aren't trying to look like Ronald McDonald here, kids. Do this in thin strokes from the cupids bow outwards, and then line the bottom from the middle to the corners. This step not only stops the lipstick itself bleeding* (*running out your lips in strange wonky lines- not attractive), but it will help you get an even lipstick application and help you to stay within the lip line. 

With a red lip, try and use a flat, thin lip brush to apply it with. This one that I have pictured is one of my favourites and it actually came in a set of brushes that I actually bought off eBay! Using a brush will stop the product from going onto the lips too thick (which can make the overall look go patchy) and generally, it makes the lipstick last longer, especially if you put a couple of thin layers on. A brush is also handy if you've not got a lip liner with you, as you can use the brush and your favourite lipstick as a substitute. 

Lastly, you're going to want an actually red lipstick. Bet you never guessed that one, huh? My go-to red lipsticks are Mac Ruby Woo (which I would have pictured, but it's a little shabby now) and this L'Oreal Color Riche in 461. Personally, I tend to reach for cool-toned reds that have a slight blue tinge to them, as I find that these suit my skin tone and they also make my teeth seem brighter and whiter. I do love more orangey-reds, but only tend to wear them when I have a tan (Topshop Rio is my ultmate fave!).

I hear a lot of people saying that they "can't" wear red lipstick. I say nonsense! Remember, there is no such word as can't. Ease yourself into it- firstly, but a red-tinted lip balm on, then go for a red gloss, then a sheer red lippy and then just build up the intensity from there. I know that the red lip can take a little practice, but keep going and you'll get there! I hope that this has been helpful- do you have any extra tips?!

xxxx

FIVE PRODUCTS THAT WILL GET YOU GLOWING

To give yourself the best chance of getting a glow that Millie Mackintosh herself would be impressed with, start with a fresh, clean face, preferably exfoliated and definitely moisturised base. Products will cling to any dry skin and will definitely ruin your base.

The first products that you should be putting on your skin should be a primer and whenever I need a dewy, glowing base I turn to these two babies; the Bourjois Happy Light Luminous Serum Primer and the Look Beauty Perk Me Up Skin Brightening Primer**. The Bourjois, as the name states, is a serum so it evens out the texture of your skin and gives it that dewy feel that foundation sits perfectly on. I love that this serum is somewhat translucent (with a hint of pink)- it's more the texture that makes the overall look, rather than a shimmer as such and that is why I tend to use this first, and then put half a pump on the Look Beauty primer on the higher points on my face (cheekbones, nose, forehead, cupids bow) as this is the primer that actually has the shimmer; when I say shimmer, please read as shimmer and not glitter. Ew.

** So the Look Magazine Beauty Range seems to have disappeared recently- this is something that upsets me. I literally loved their foundations, lipsticks and nail polishes :( if anyone knows anything about this, please let me know!

Next up, I'll use my chosen foundation (at the mo I'm leaning towards the Revlon Colorstay foundation in Ivory), dabbing blobs over my face and then adding in little dollops of Benefit High Beam to my cheeks, forehead and nose and then blending all over my face. This just gives my foundation more pazazz, not leaving my face flat and lifeless. I'll then pop a little bronzer under my cheekbones and up on my temples to help give my face some more dimension and then I'll grab the No.7 Instant Radiance Highlighter Stick, swiping a tad over my cheekbones and down the bridge of my nose.

I like to finish of my dewy look (after I've put on my eye makeup and my brows), I'll take my The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer highlighting powder and, using a fluffy eyeshadow brush, I add a tiny bit of this product under my eyebrows, into the corner of my eyes, onto my cupids bow and a tad more onto the bridge of my nose. This is the best highlighter I've ever tried; I got it last year when I was in New York and have used it every day since and somehow, I still have half of the stuff left! Fantastic. It's so, so pigmented and lasts all day. Bonus too; Superdrug have just started selling this here.

Are there any products that you use to fake that 10-hour-sleep, 8-glasses-of-water-a day-glow? Let me know! xxx

SOAP AND GLORY; MARVELIPS!

Working for Boots has a lot of perks. We get cheaper products, celebs are forever just popping by, we participate in all kinds of charity events, we get to go to said charity events, but one of the main perks of the job is that we are in completely overwhelmed with Soap and Glory.

This makes me very, very happy. It's no secret that I am a massive fan of Soap and Glory; their products always work and do just as they say they will, everything smells delectable, the packaging is super-cute, the product names just simply whimsical and their witty humour on the labels are just something else- if you haven't seen this yet, have a quick peek at your nearest S & G product and you will see exactly what I mean.

One thing that I've said that I'd try more of is their makeup- for some reason, it's just a brand of makeup that I would never purposely go to look at, nor would I consider picking up any of their range if I was in need of, say, a new lippy however recently, I've been super lucky to try a few key pieces of their range and I thought that I would share a couple of reviews with you!

The first thing that I tried was this duo lip pencil. One end is the lip shade and the other end is an instant plumping effect- a highlighter for the lips.

This is the nicest nude pencil I've ever had the pleasure to use. The shade is sooo 'your-lips-but-better', which is something that I've been reaching for just recently.. (Does anyone else go through nude lips / statement lips periods?? Just me? ok.)

The colour-end of the pencil is fantastic. As I said, this shade is a beautiful nude- it just makes my lips seem fuller and it instantly makes me look more 'made up' but in a good way. I can put this on at 7am and by lunch time, I can still see that it's there, still practically perfect. It also smells like Chocolate Orange which is probably just another reason why I love it... I also read online that it contains super sparkling pigments, however I can see no such thing, so don't be put off by this.

I just don't get the other end. The highlighter end. It does nothing for me. However, this doesn't worry me because it's easily ignored. One thing that I have noticed though is that you can use it as an eyebrow bone highlighter.. I guess that's making decent use out of it, even if it's not relevant.

Anyway, as you can see I've bought another one (mainly because I wanted to take it eeeeverywhere with me but I kept losing it), but yeah. I'd 100% recommend this to you. I just wish that they would do other shades, but I'm glad that they perfected this one first.

Marvelips is £8 and available from Boots stores nationwide.

PHILOSOPHY PURITY THREE-IN-ONE CLEANSER

£17.50 for 236ml from all Boots stores Nationwide

So tonight, featuring on TangledinBeauty is, dare I say, my new holy grail cleanser. Yep, I know that using the HG status is kinda risque, I mean what if I find a new HG cleanser and upset this one, but really guys please try this! Its definitely something that you'll thank me for.

I was given this sample at work one day and after hearing such rave reviews, I was very excited to get home and wash away the day's makeup and grime (ew). Wow, I've never been so impressed with a product upon first use- it was love at first use for sure.

You only need a 20p-sized blob in your palm, lather up under warm water and massage into your face and neck for 30 seconds. Rinse off as you usually would and pat your face dry et voila! Perfectly, squeaky clean skin in 30 seconds. I dare you to take your cotton pad and another cleanser and try to find a scrap of dirt that this cleanser hasn't already removed. I've used this with heavy-coverage makeup and super-heavy eye makeup (I'm talking smokey-eye, eyeliner and 4 coats of mascara) and still, just one rinse and it's all gone.

Another fab thing with this cleanser is the smell; I've heard a lot of people complain about this, however I've really enjoyed the medicinal scent that it gives out. Fair play, this might be slightly too strong for some sensitive noses, but I've not qualms about this whatsoever. 

I've also noticed, and this is the only new product that I've introduced into my skincare regime, that my skin has improved drastically within the last 6 weeks of using this. It's clear and when I do get that occasional pimple, it's just a tiny one that is gone within the day. My skin is also much less red, pretty even and a lot brighter, too. This stuff has worked wonders! 

Also, I really like the fact that they offer different sized bottles; the smaller size retails at £8, the medium bottle around £18 and the largest bottle is around £28. This seems pretty pricey, but let me tell you, I've been using this tiny sample bottle on a daily basis for around 6 weeks now and as you can see, it's about half-way gone. I imagine that the biggest bottle would last for at least 6 months. I really like that you can get it in a sample size- I'm gonna get the big bottle and keep topping the sample bottle up so that I can take it away on holiday/trips without having to lug the big bottle around with me. 

There is only one negative thing that came to mind when reviewing this; the price! Personally, I do think that it's ever so slightly overpriced, however I 100% would pay it purely because of the results that it gives. I think this would definitely put people off purchasing it, but one thing that is great is that when you purchase a full-sized bottle, you get a 'try me' sample and if you don't like it, you can return the big bottle and get your money back. 

Overall, I would say that you're silly not to give this a go- you'll get the sample size and, like I said, you'll get the full refund if you don't like it, although I can almost guarantee that you won't look back!

Have you tried this yet? What did you think to it? xxx

RANDOM FAVOURITES FEB/MARCH

(A pretty random post, but I just wanted to share a few little things that I've been loving in the past month-or-so that are non-beauty related)

I don't know about you guys, but here in the UK (specifically Nottingham), the weather has been so unpreditably-crazy since returning from my holidays. To help combat this, I've been completely living in my khaki parker coat from last year. It's perfect for the transition from Winter into Spring as it's light enough to not be too stuffy but heavy enough to sheild you from the blustering winds that we have been getting. I love that there's a hood on it, as most of my coats don't sport one so it's great at keeping my little ears warm. Also, it's fantastic at making your outfits look a little 'casual' and not too 'done', which I love. I've also rekindled a love for my black Fiorelli shoulder bag. I sorted out my wardrobe in the week and rediscovered this cutie pie and I've donned it as my new work bag. It's big enough to fit all of my crap in (believe me, there's a lot of it- maybe I should do a 'what's in my bag?' post...) and the little sections keep everything somewhat organised- a nice change for me. I picked it up from T K Maxx for a snippett of the price towards the end of last year if you wondered.

For my cosy nights in that I enjoy sooo much, I bought myself a new pair of slippers as mine were falling apart and, embarrassingly, getting a little stinky. They're super-soft and comfy and a dream to slip on after a long day in heels and they just keep my tootsies very nice and toasty. Toasty tootsies. I have also discovered this Hope River Sparkling Rose Wine which you can pick up whilst doing your weekly shop at Aldi for, like, £3-4 which is nothing. I'm a massive fan of sparkling wine (I actually don't like normal wine at all at the mo) but it has to be on the sweeter side of the pallette, which this wine definitely is. It's so nice that I will (guiltily) drink the entire bottle whilst eating my new favourite chocolate and watching my new favourite show.. Yep, you can guess what my next chapter will be on.

These Milk Chocolate Mini Delights in Strawberry are divine. They're small enough to be satisfying, but very more-ish and I could easily sit and eat the whole box. Not good when I'm supposed to be on Slimming World. Again, very cheap and very accessible. If you've not got these in your trolley on your next trip to Aldi, consider me disappointed.

Another thing that I have been absolutely looovvvinngggg is Pretty Little Liars. Yep, you've probably heard me mention this before, but I am so hooked! Me and Luke have watched all 5 serious in the past month or two and I'm getting a little panick-y knowing that Series 5 is coming to an end- I'm spacing out my watching habbits so that I don't have to wait too long to see the final episode (coming out on the 24th March eeep!) Anyone that watches it will understand my pain when I say that I do NOT want it to end. Who do you all think the real 'A' is?! Place your bets now. My guess is Aria... or is it Mike? Caleb? Mya?! eeeep.. Kisses!

Speaking of fiction, I set myself a little reading challenge and so since New Year, I have tried to read at least a book a month. Last month (on holiday) I read 3 books, so I'm well on track (Gone Girl is a fantastic novel to read if you're looking for gripping drama that you can't put down!). I want to get out of my habbit of reading the same genre, but I can't resist a good romance/girly book. I picked these two up at a local book sale for 50p and I can't wait to get stuck in to them. Also on the subject of books, I've recently got back into keeping diary entries and these two little gems keep me on track; the One Line A Day and the Q & A a Day. The One Line a Day has 5 little sections on each date so that you can keep a five-year diary. I love that- it's like TimeHop but in written form. I'm kinda geeky and I love to see how my handwriting and the words that I use have changed, so this is a fantastic way of seeing that. The Q&A a day asks you a short question every day and again, it has enough space to answer over the course of 5 years. This one will be super fascinating to see how my answers change within the 1-5 years. e.g. "what is your nemesis?"

The last thing on my little list is this emergency phone charger by Kensington. There are so many of these out there now, but this is one that I've had for a while and I just love how compact it is. You can literally throw it in any bag and it doesn't take up any room, but you know it's there "just in case". I am forever letting my battery run down, so this is a must-have for me. It has one full charge in it, which is more than enough to save you from a boring meeting or a mundane commute from work or school.

Is there anything in particular that you've been loving recently?!

MY NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS 2015 - HOW AM I DOING?!

Okay, brace yourselves for what I am about to say.

WE ARE MORE THAN A QUARTER WAY THROUGH 2015. ALREADY. eep.

This was a post that, originally, I never posted. Every year, I like to write a post about my New Years Resolutions, but this year I was a little late to do it and by the time that I had written them, I didn't really feel like posting them, so they have just sat there in my 'draft' section all sad and lonely. Anyway, I thought that it might be a good idea to see how far I've come and to remind myself what I have to work on, so here we go!

My 8 New Years resolutions:

1. the typical lose-more-weight promise; every year I'm all like yeaaaah, so gonna lose 3 stone this year and look like Lily Aldridge or Megan Fox yet every year I still look like this. So this year, I've made a more realistic res. & that is to lose 10% of my body weight. Sounds do-able, right? I damn hope so. 

Okay, nope I've not lost 10% of my body weight, however I have made a start on it. I joined Slimming World with my sister and friend at the beginning of the year and, up until holiday, I had lost half a stone. I've not weighed myself since holiday, but I am starting fresh tomorrow and hope to reach this goal by the end of April.

2. Get serious about a career; yeah, work is good but it's easy, it's simple and there is no challenge. Granted, I've recently taken turns in learning new skills, training up people and trying out new strategies, but all-in-all, it's not a career. I want to be that independent woman that everyone loves, I want to wear a pencil skirt, drive an audi and carry a folder. I want to not only be financially secure, but socially secure- happy and determined. 

So,so. I've not got an Audi, but I have bought a folder. I won a big award at work and had the pleasure of meeting some of the major managers of Boots and so I am counting this resolution as half done. No, I've not moved jobs (yet), but I am half way there, I promise!

3. Commit to my blog & social media platforms; I know that sometimes blogging can be pushed to the very bottom of your to-do list, especially if you're working full-time, running a household and trying to upkeep a social life, but this year, I am determined to make my blog up there in my top priorities (after eating and watching Pretty Little Liars, ok?). To start with, I'll look to post once a week and then we will go from there. Watch this space.

*the one that I desperately need to work on*

4. Stop buying products and use up all old things; I can't even tell you how many products I have in my bedroom, bathroom and spare room.. I would say that it's borderline obsession.. Boxes upon boxes of cleansers, toners, washes, moisturisers, body butters, shower gels, shampoos, conditioners, deep conditioners, leave-in conditioners... I could be here a while but you get my point. It's almost embarrassing to let people see! So this year, in a bid to make space and a race to use things whilst they're still in date, I am determined to use up at least a box-worth of things. 

Believe it or not, I have literally only bought ONE face wash, no nail polishes, no mascaras, two foundations, one primer and one lip stick in the past two months. Can someone please give me a 'hell yeah'?! ...thank you v.much!

5. Be a more positive person; I'm a girl, a young girl at that. I get jealous, I get bitchy, I can be mean, rude, nasty and at some points just down right out of order, but I want to leave 2014 where it is- in the past. Now, I'm not saying that I won't be a bitch (I mean c'mon, we can't make miracles), but I will think about what comes out of my mouth before I actually say it, which is definitely a first for me. I am going to find more positive vibes; relaxing and doing things that I love. I will compliment people more, I'll turn my head at negativity and try not to get caught up in drama. I will be that bigger person that I've never been able to be. 

I have steered clear of said drama (in the workplace and out), I am commenting more positive comments on girls' Instagrams and I am refraining from putting mean statuses on Facebook. So far so good.

6. Take a class in something that you love; I'm not sure what just yet, but I have such a passion for beauty and writing, so hopefully I will find something that I can delve into.

Not done this yet, but it's something that I've definitely looked into.

7. Visit somewhere new; Now, I actually don't have anything in mind here- for some reason, I really want to visit Blackpool illuminations and I also quite fancy Brighton, but those are the only two places on my list this year. We'll see how I get on!

This one I'm doing pretty well on- Just little things so far such as visiting new restaurants and shops, but I've also booked to go to Amsterdam in June. It looks beautiful and is somewhere that I've always wanted to see, so I'm verrry excited for this!

8. Learn a new skill; Lastly on my list is this little gem- it's something that I always say that I'm going to, but this year, I'm very determined to try something slightly different. Whether it's a style of dance, figure skating or even pole dancing, this year is the year of change! 

Nope, not done this one either- maybe I'll find something next month?

I guess that I still have a little way to go, but hey- there's still another 9 months to go!

How are your resolutions coming along? xxx

ANASTASIA BEVERLEY HILLS DIPBROW POMADE

Anastasia Beverley Hills Dipbrow Pomade in shade 'Dark Brown'

£15 from Cult Beauty

Okay, so this is a product that everyone and their mum's have raved about, but I wanted to give it a fair go before deciding on my final verdict. I've been using this since the day that I received it (I got it for Christmas off my boyfriend), so it's given me a good 2 and a half months of daily usage and, as you can see, it has barely put a dent in the pot.

First impressions:

After first hearing about this, I spent so much time watching Youtube and Instagram videos and reading blog post after blog post, trying to figure out if this product was something that I would use or not. By the time that I got my hands on it, I was sure that I'd be an expert and have fantastic brows in a swish. No. This was NOT the case.

 

So, Christmas day, I sat on the bed along with all of my new makeup, with the intention of making myself look like a beauty godess, and the only thing that I was interested in was this. Grabbing it first, I decided to use my every-day eyebrow brush (Real Techniques angled eyeliner brush) which is fantastic, may I just add. As all of the reviews said, you only need a tiny bit on your brush and so that's what I did. I put the tiniest bit on my brush.

 

Error #1: Listening to other bloggers about how much you need on the brush. I find that I need a normal amount of eyebrow product to get this to work wonders for my brows- just a quick heavy-handed swipe will be more than enough, but a slight 'dab' into the pot is not going to work for you.

 

Error #2: Using this product heavy-handedly with the intention of cleaning it up and using a concealer to cover the damage. Nope. Well, technically yes but there's alot of scrubbing to be done, leaving a nice, red mess. Not very Kim Kardashian at all.

 

Price & shades:

At £15, it's not exactly expensive if we compare it to the infamous Benefit Brow Zings, however it is slightly more expensive than, say, the Collection palette that you can pick up for just under £4.

My only gripe with paying this price is that here in the UK, the only way of getting your mitts on it is to order online (Cult Beauty and Beauty Bay stock it) meaning that there aren't any samples and you kinda have to guess what shade you are. Obviously, if it comes and you see it and you think that it's the wrong shade, then of course you can send it back, but I am very lazy and get too excited for the delivery, so that's a no-go for me. I spent a while looking at pictures of people using it and guessing what shade- I quite like dark brows anyway, so I went for Dark Brown, however I think a lighter one would have been better suited, especially as I'm trying not to wear so much fake tan.

Cult Beauty offer 11 shades, ranging from blondes to brunettes to auburns, so there really is something for everyone, however it really is just a guessing game as to which one you will need.

 

Longevity:

In terms of how long the actual pot of product will last, as you can see from the photos above, it's had almost 3 months worth of daily useage and that is all that I've used, so I can see this lasting a good 6-9 months, which is fantastic. The only thing that I was slightly worried about is that gel/cream products tend to dry up after short lengths of time, but it's been three months and the further down I'm getting, the better the product seems to be getting, which is fantastic!

In terms of the longevity on the face, this product lasts all day. No budging, no slipping, no smudging. Once it's there, it's there until you cleanse it off. Usually when using any other brand of brow product, I find that I touch my face throughout the day and come lunchtime, I'll have one patchy brow and the other will be smudged down my face, but this has stopped all of that.

 

Removal:

Now, I'm sure that we have all read about how hard this product is to remove, however the only time that I've stuggled with this was when it was on bare skin. There was one day that I was in a major rush, put no foundation on *shock horror* but (of course) had to have my brows on, duhhh. That was pretty hard to get off- however with just a couple of swipes of my trusty oil-based eye remover, I was brow-free in a short space of time, but yeah, on a daily basis, I think the oil in my foundation helps to budge this off so there is minimal scrubbing around the eye area.. I don't want saggy eyes, thanks!

 

Overall:

I'd probably give this 8/10.

 

There aren't many negatives for me, but here are a couple that just knock it off the top spot;

 

- There are no samples. No stores that we can visit and get colour-matched, so it's a guessing game as to which shade to purchase.

 

- I can see it drying out before I get a chance to use it up.

 

- For some reason, I keep getting bobbly-bits in my brows upon application. Not a massive issue as a quick run of the finger and they're gone, but it looks a little messy. Maybe it's an error in technique on my behalf, so hopefully I'll find a way around it.

 

- It takes quite a long time to get used to it. In fact, it's been almost 3 months and I am still trying to use it to it's full potential.

 

- Quite frankly, this product was too hyped up. I hate it when something is raved about and then you get it and you're slightly disappointed and I just feel like that's what has happened here.

 

 

Have any of you tried this yet?

xxx