Manicure Monday Weeks 5, 6 and 7

 Firstly we have OPI's "Warm and Fozzie". It's from an old Muppet's collection and the beautiful bronze glitter is a great fall shade. For a glitter nail polish it lasts forever and I love the way it looks, as it's neutral and sparkly.

 Next up is Essie's "Sable Collar", this deep brownish-red is a wonderful winter colour. Darker colours always make you look like you've had a nice manicure, and this shade from Essie's Winter 2013 collection is no disappointment.

For Christmas I used the Essie shade "Leading Lady". The deep burgundy polish has bright red glitter throughout and I know I've said it before, but it really is a bottle of ruby slippers. The colour doesn't last as well as I'd want it too, but it is a very beautiful polish.

 Essie's "Lilacism" is a beautiful shade I received for Christmas. I had to try it out at once, since I was getting a bit bored of sparkly shades and this lilac colour is great for springtime. Although I'll be reaching for those sparkly shades again for new years, I thought this would give me a bit of a break meanwhile.

 These are my last few weeks of nail polish, sorry it's not too exciting but it's been a nice break from keeping all preened and polished! Happy New Year everyone!

Week 7- Clindets Acne Therapy

This week has been a rough one. I think it's a combination of eating way too much crappy food and having a few alcoholic beverages. The alcohol is incredibly drying, and although I haven't had too much to drink I know it takes it's toll on my skin. Other than this, I know the Clindet's doses might be a bit too high for my skin. I've only got 5 weeks left, and although most active breakouts have gone, I still have a great deal of redness on my skin. Alcohol is one of the first ingredients in the Clindet's pads, and it's leaving my skin very dry and it's peeling. It doesn't allow makeup to sit well on my face and just looks bad in general. I might reduce the usage from once per day to every other day in the hope that my skin can hold onto some moisture. It's almost making my skin look worse because it's so dry, and I know they said "it will get worse before it gets better", but I'm over halfway done the treatment and I think it's about time my skin looks better. The first weeks seemed to be the best because I noticed immediate results, but now it seems my skin has gone back to how it used to be, only it's a lot more dry. I know I could increase the dosage but I don't think I want to peel my face off every night. So anyway, this week has been bad. I've been using excuses such as stress, eating badly, not being hydrated enough etc. etc, but the truth is I've increased how much water I drink, I've increased the amount of moisturizer and oils I use and my skin is still dry. If anyone has any advice on what I should do, let me know. Thanks for reading, hopefully weeks 8-12 are better than the past 7.

5 Minute, 5 Product Makeover

Sometimes you need to get out of the door... fast. You've suddenly been invited out, you realize you were supposed to be somewhere or you're called in for a shift while you're still laying in bed. It happens. On occasions like this I know I better do my makeup in the least time possible. Here are the items I use, why I use them and what a transformation they make!

 The products I used (in order) are as follows:

- Maybelline BB Dream Fresh Cream

- Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Brightening concealer

- Sephora powder brush and Too Faced Peach Leopard Bronzer (not pictured)

- Rimmel Scandaleyes Retro Glam mascara

- Laura Mercier Bare Pink lipgloss

 I use a BB cream to fix any dicolouration, concealer under my eyes to brighten, mascara to open my eyes and bronzer to warm my complexion. I add some lipgloss for moisture and to look a bit more polished.

Here's the finished look, hopefully it's not too obvious I just rolled out of bed!

Products to Help Prepare You for NYE 2013

New Years Eve is fast approaching, and I thought I'd share a few products you can use before you've done your hair/makeup to prepare you for a night out. Now this can be used for all sorts of occasions, but I've used particularly glowy products, because if there were ever a time for glitter it would be New Years.

 To begin I thought I'd just take a snapshot of some of the products I'm talking about today, of course jewelery and glittery shoes will definitely fit in for NYE.

 Firstly I have a well loved product. I've talked about this non-stop since buying it, but seriously it's so darn pretty. Dior's "Amber Diamond" highlighter is beautiful and really helps bring out those cheekbones for a NYE party.

 Next up is a rollerball perfume. I've specifically chosen a rollerball because you can take it with you. It fits into any clutch and helps keep you smelling wonderful until the early hours of the morning. This particular fragrance is Vera Wang's "Princess Night", a perfume following her original (and delicious) "Princess" fragrance. This smells wonderful, and is a perfect evening fragrance without being too overpowering.

 Next up is hair. Bamboo Smooth's "Kendi Oil" is a dry oil that can be spritzed into your hair either damp or dry. It isn't too heavy, and because it's a spray it is evenly distributed without making you look greasy. It helps tame flyaways and give you a bit of shine for a night out.

 "Glow Lotion" by Soap & Glory is a truly fantastic product. I bought it ages ago and never knew what to do with it, but recently I've been using it all the time! It's a pinky shade, and isn't glittery, it just has a bit of shimmer that helps make you look lit-from-within. It's sort of an adult version of the tubes full of glitter that you had when you were a kid. No chunky glitter, but it smells amazing and makes you look like  a goddess... it's moisturizing too!

 Before the "Glow Lotion", I like to apply Soap & Glory's "The Righteous Butter". It has their signature scent which is incredible, and leaves your skin silky smooth. It is very moisturizing, sinks in pretty fast for a body butter, and isn't too greasy. I really recommend taking the time to do a full body moisturize the morning of, or night before going out. It really makes your skin look dewey and healthy, talking away any dullness or scaliness from the cold winter. It's the next best thing to slapping on the fake tan.

 Of course in preparation for a night out you'll want to give yourself a bit of a manicure. New Years celebrations can really vary, from a very formal event to a small get together, most girls will take the time to paint their nails for this kind of event. A sparkly option will always look great on a night like this, I've chosen Essie's "A Cut Above".

To help keep your skin looking great while wearing makeup, or before it's applied I've been using Caudalie's "Eau De Beaute". Essentially it's a "beauty water" with some extra goodness in it that will just help tone your skin. It's not a necessary product, and I wouldn't buy the very expensive full size... but it is a nice luxury product that won't do your skin any harm and will help it look fresh and glowy.

I hope you've enjoyed my NYE preparation picks! Some other things I would do in preparation is a facial and body exfoliant, a face mask and perhaps some eyebrow maintenance. As for face exfoliants and masks it's hard to recommend ones that will work for everyone, and I wouldn't try a new one before an event in case you have an allergic reaction or it causes your skin to dry out or go all red. January is an awesome time to try new products, I would wait until after New Years! 

Happy New Year everyone, thanks for reading over 2013!

My Top 10 YouTube Beauty Channels of 2013

My inspiration for starting a blog was watching hours and hours of makeup tutorials on YouTube. Over the years I have watched so many wonderful videos and subscribed to several awesome channels. This year I'm going to share my top ten favourites, link their channels for your to enjoy and describe why I like them all.

10) In tenth place is Sprinkle of Glitter. Louise actually has some of the videos I watch most often, but as far as makeup goes she doesn't post just beauty videos. She has a super cute daughter named Darcy, and a lot of her best videos are sit down chats and little clips of Darcy. Her personality seems lovely and I think she's hilarious and wonderful to watch!

To watch Louise's channel, click here!

9) In ninth place we have Gemma from Gemsmaquillage. The reason Gemma is only in 9th place is because I'm pretty new to her channel and she hasn't posted much lately due to some serious house-moving. I think she seems so lovely and funny, very honest and very down-to-earth. I can easily relate to how she's feeling, I love her reviews because she's so honest and I also love her vlogs.

To watch Gemma's channel, click here!

8) In eighth place is Sammi from BeautyCrush. Sammi does so many tutorials, a lot more than most "beauty gurus" on YouTube. I love this, because what I enjoy watching the most are tutorials. It's great to see what she does because she has a darker skin tone than my own, which helps me when I think about what looks good on my own friends. She is so funny, and I love that her videos aren't over edited, she often laughs out loud about things she said or how something turns out. I also love her style, her fashion and tattoos are gorgeous!

To watch Sammi's channel, click here!

7) In seventh place is Fleur from Fleur De Force. Her channel is great because she posts a lot of reviews, especially on new drugstore launches. I've found recently she's followed in the footsteps of some American beauty gurus with more house tours, "whats in my bag" videos etc, and I generally prefer videos based mainly on skincare and beauty, however she has honest in-depth reviews and shows a variety of British and North American makeup, making her tutorials quite accessible.

To watch Fleur's channel, click here!

6) In sixth place we have Tiffany from MakeupByTiffanyD. She was the first YouTuber I subscribed too and she is still going strong. She posts almost exclusively about beauty which I love! She is always posting reviews, almost weekly tutorials and I think she's excellent. She went through a bit of a phase where it seemed she was only selling Sigma products, but she appears to be over that now. She's honest in her reviews and uses a great deal of high and low end products.

To watch Tiffany's channel, click here!

5) Halfway there! In fifth place we have Estee from EssieButton. To begin with, Estee and I are living opposite lives. She is Canadian living in England, and I am English living in Canada. I love this because I can see what she loves about both places and I can really relate to what she's talking about. She has a great sense of humour, and her vlogmas was excellent!

To watch Estee's channel, click here!

4) In fourth place is Ruth from AModelRecommends. Ruth is a model from the UK who certainly knows her stuff about skincare. As she has to keep her skin looking awesome for photo shoots, she is great and recommending products (hence the name I suppose). Also I really love her taste in makeup. She uses quite a minimal amount in comparison to other YouTubers, but everything she uses often comes with a full review. She seems very down-to-earth and is somebody I would really love to meet.

To watch Ruth's channel, click here!

3) In third place we have Tanya from Pixi2Woo. Tanya is from Norwich, where I lived while in the UK, so I think that makes her just a bit more loveable. Truthfully though, she's adorable. I love that she is an actual makeup artist, meaning she has really worked in the industry. She does great tutorials, as well as other more fun videos. She seems like a lovely lady and her channel is great!

To watch Tanya's channel, click here!

2) In second place is Anna from ViviannaDoesMakeup. She is awesome, her channel is all-beauty and I love everything about it. She uses high and low end makeup, and is also really into skincare. I also love that her videos aren't too long, most videos are under 10 minutes which means they're easy to watch in between doing other things. She is honest without ever being rude and her collaborations with Amelia Liana and Lily Pebbles are brilliant.

To watch Anna's channel, click here!

1) In first place are my absolute favourite YouTubers, Sam and Nic from Pixiwoo. They are sisters who create makeup tutorials ranging from Halloween witches to Victoria's Secret runway models. They are incredibly talented makeup artists based out of Norwich (I'm a bit biased as they're from my hometown), but they definitely deserve a top spot. I think their work is incredible, plus they seem so friendly. They use a huge variety of products and although Sam has her own brush line (Real Techniques) she never sells them which I think is really modest (because they're awesome).

To watch Sam and Nic's channel, click here!

So those are my top 10 YouTube beauty gurus! A couple of close runner-ups include Zoella, MissGlamorazzi, Lily Pebbles, Lisa Eldridge, GlamLifeGuru and RachhLoves. I hope you enjoy my top picks, let me know some of your favourites!

New Years Eve Makeup Tutorial

Hey everyone,
Today I thought I'd post an in-depth tutorial with some new products. This is the makeup I intend to wear for New Years Eve this year. I hope you enjoy!

 To prime my face I used my special-occasion primer by Guerlain. It's the "L'Or Priming Concentrate" with pure gold. I received this in a summer gift set by Sephora in 2011. I save it for all my special occasions because its so luxurious, when else will I put real gold on my face?

 On my cheekbones I applied a little bit of "That Gal" primer by Benefit. It's a bubblegum pink colour which works well with pale skin. I don't have yellow undertones so I find that yellow primers don't work too well with my skintone.

 To even out my skintone I used Maybellines "Dream Fresh BB Cream". It has an SPF of 30 which is awesome and it doesn't look cakey. It's very brightening and I think when wearing such a smokey eye look having a more subtle base looks a bit more natural.

 For my under eye concealer I used Maybelline's "Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circle Treatment". I used the brightening shade.

 Here is where I apply it, it helps brighten the shadowy areas on my face.

 Once it's blended in it helps my skin look more flawless.

 On my blemishes I apply MAC's "Studio Finish" concealer in the shade NW20.

 Before I put powder on my skin I like to let my base makeup set in. While I wait I apply Nars eye primer.

 Next I applied NYX "Born to Glow Liquid Illuminator" on my cheekbones. It's a rose-gold hue and I think it was a bit too dark for my skintone at the moment, but in the summer I'm sure it'll look gorgeous!

 To set my makeup I applied Hourglass' "Ambient Lighting Powder" in the shade "Dim Light"

 On the outer corner of my eyes I applied Rimmel's "Scandaleyes" in the purple shade.

 On the inner corner of my eye I applied Benefit's creaseless cream shadow in the shade "RSVP".

This is what it looks like before I blended it in.

 I used a Dior limited-edition palette, and mainly used the lighter pink colour and the deeper purple colour.

 This is what it looked like layered over the base.

 Finally I used the sparkly white shade in my very inner corner.

 This is the completed eyeshadow.

 In my lower waterline I used Rimmel's Nude eyeliner.

 In my upper waterline and on my lashline I used MAC's "Prunella"

 I then used Stila's "Stay All Day" waterproof eyeliner on my upper lashline and winged it out.

 This is a closed eye shot.

 And the open eye shot.

 I then used Smashbox's lash primer just to add a bit of volume and length to my lashes.

 It leaves a white residue so you have to use quite a bit of mascara to cover it up.

 On my upper lashes I used Benefit's "They're Real" mascara.

 On the lower lashes I used Bobbi Brown's mascara.

 This is the finished eye makeup.

 I used Anastasia Brow Wiz "Ash Blonde" to shape my eyebrows.

 Then I used Benefit's Brow Zing's eyeshadow to fill in my brows.

 Then to keep my eyeshadow in place I used Essence Lash & Brow Gel.

 This is the finished eye and face makeup.

 I used Tarte's Amazonian Bronzer in "Park Ave. Princess"

 I used the bronze half of Lorac's tantalizer duo to help contour my cheekbones.

 I then used Tarte's blush in "Exposed".

 To highlight my cheekbones I used Dior's "Amber Diamond" highlighter.

 The finished face makeup looked like this. The bronzer helped add some dimension to my face.

 I used Essence's lipliner in "In the Nude". I applied this all over my lip and also to shape my lips.

 I then used Givenchy's "Rose Caprice" lipstick all over my lips.

 To make my lips look fuller and glossy I used Dior's "Addict Lipgloss" in the shade 157.

 This is the finished face makeup.

And the finished look with my dress and hair down.

I hope you all had a lovely time over the holidays, enjoyed Christmas if you celebrate it and I hope you all have a happy, healthy new year!