Rimmel London Goodies

Hey everyone,
So I'm back at home for a study break before exams, and I've been pretty busy but thought I'd throw together a quick post. I'll definitely post a lot more after exams done and I've got some fun things planned. I'm probably going to get a little selection of beauty products for Christmas, so I'll have a lot to write about in the New Year, but as this time of year is particularly stressful I think I should just write small posts, however you can expect more soon!
Today I ran to the drugstore for some prescriptions and realized I has $30.00 to spend from my Optimum card. Optimum cards are point cards from Shoppers Drug Mart, and you get points each time you spend money until you can redeem them. I had saved up $30.00 and bought some goodies from Rimmel which I'll show you now!

 Firstly I bought Rimmel's Scandaleyes Eye Shadow Stick in the shade 002 Bulletproof Beige.

 Secondly I purchased Rimmel's Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in 002 Sparkling Black.

 Finally I purchased Rimmel's newest mascara, Scandaleyes Retro Glam in the shade 003 Extreme Black.

 The wand on the mascara is unlike any others I have at the moment, and since I've been so impressed with Rimmel's products lately I thought if I needed a new mascara it should be from them.

 This is a swatch from the shadow stick. The colour is beautiful, a warm toned sparkling champagne colour which will make an excellent eyeshadow base for the holiday season!

I had actually intended to buy the regular black liner but realized I bought a sparkling one instead, however I'm not disappointed. I have a nude shade from the same line and it's wonderful so I'm expecting really great things, plus there's nothing wrong with a bit of sparkle this time of year!

Thanks for reading, apologies for the lack of posting but as soon as exam season is over I will be back to posting more regularly! Hope your weekend is going well!

30 Day Makeup Challenge... In One Night

Hey everyone,

So I was looking up ideas for blog posts and found this cool idea- basically answering 30 makeup related questions each day for 30 days. I'm going to try and do this but all at once. There are two question's I cannot answer right now but I will do a later blog post about. Question 9: I'm not where most of my makeup is right now, and won't be for the holidays. Question 30: I'm in bed, and don't want to re-post pictures from my blog previously. Nor do I want to do my makeup at 2am here. Sorry. 

DAY 1: When did you start wearing makeup?
- I started wearing makeup when I was about 10 or 11, but not proper makeup. I certainly didn't wear a full face of makeup and my first makeup items were a clear mascara and pink lipgloss.

DAY 2: How did you learn to put on makeup?
- Probably from watching my Mum, and other friends parents. One of my friends mum's applied 3 lipsticks to get the perfect shade. I didn't really learn from anyone though, I'm self-taught.

DAY 3: What's your favourite makeup brand?
- It's hard to choose a favourite, but I'm really impressed with Rimmel London lately, for a drugstore brand. For a high-end brand I'd have to choose Dior, I've never tried a product I don't like.

DAY 4: Do you like wearing foundation? If so, what are some of your favourites?
- Yes, I do like wearing foundation. Some of my favourites are Rimmel's "Clean Finish", Bourjous "Healthy Mix Serum", Benefits "Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow" and Rimmel's "Wake Me Up".

DAY 5: Favourite lipstick, lipgloss and lipliner?
- This is really hard. My favourite lipstick is Givenchy's "Rose Caprice" Satin lipstick. My favourite lipgloss is Smashbox's gloss in "Pop" and I don't use a whole lot of lipliner, so I can't say I have a favourite.

DAY 6: Do you like wearing false lashes? What ones do you like to wear?
- I wear false lashes on special occasions or if I'm wearing quite a smoky eye makeup. I like strip lashes, but I always have to trim them down. Individual lashes are also great on the outer corners, but I can only ever use the short/medium lengths. I use Duo Glue in the darker shade and most of my lashes were bought in bulk from IMATS last year.

DAY 7: Favourite eyeshadow colour?
- Another hard question. I love an Estee Lauder shade my Mum has called "Tea Biscuit". I think it might be discontinued. Another shade I love is Nars "Kalahari" and Urban Decay's "Naked 2"

DAY 8: What's your favourite daytime look?
- I really like a glowy foundation or BB cream, brown-rose blush, a pale bronzer, black liquid liner and mascara. Usually just a lipbalm or gloss works for me.

DAY 9: Photo of your makeup collection? - Sorry

DAY 10: Favourite makeup brush?
- Has to be the Real Techniques Multitask brush. I love all Real Techniques brushes actually...

DAY 11: Do you like wearing bronzer? What ones do you like?
- Yes I like bronzer. Favourites include Tarte's "Park Ave. Princess" and Benefit's "Hoola".

DAY 12: Favourite mascara?
- Benefit's "They're Real" mascara.

DAY 13: Where do you keep your makeup?
- In various bowls around my mirror. They're separated into different catagories, foundations and BB creams, concealers and powders, blushes and bronzers, single shadows and gel liners. I also have a little drawer set with lipsticks, glosses, balms, stains and lippencils in. I also have plastic drawers with palettes, lashes, stuff I don't use regularly and skincare items.

DAY 14: Favourite YouTube makeup gurus?
- 'Pixiwoo' sisters Sam and Nic Chapman, 'A Model Recommends' Ruth Crilly, Lisa Eldridge, 'EssieButton' Estee, 'Pixi2Woo' Tanya Burr, 'Vivianna Does Makeup' Anna. I find British YouTube "beauty gurus" to do less hauls and more looks, and also less random personal videos.

DAY 15: Do you wear blush?
- Yes, although I don't really need to. Tomato redness underneath my makeup.

DAY 16: Do you copy any celebrities makeup?
- No, I get inspired by people but I never sit down and copy someone unless it's for a costume or a post or something. I have my own style which I stick to.

DAY 17: Favourite makeup artist?
- Probably some YouTuber's to be honest. The Pixiwoo sisters are actual MUA's and are really great. I also love books from Bobbi Brown and Jemma Kidd, so I'd have to include them. Lisa Eldridge too!

DAY 18: Favourite nighttime look?
- I like smoky eyes, but recently I've been loving bronze eyes and a dark, berry-toned red. However I'll be jazzing things up for new years with a purple smoky eye and a nude lip I think.

DAY 19: Favourite concealer?
- Rimmel's "Wake Me Up" or Benefit's "Erase Paste" concealer for under my eyes and MAC's "Studio Finish" concealer for blemishes.

DAY 20: Favourite eyeshadow primer?
- Nars Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base is awesome.

DAY 21: Where do you purchase your makeup?
- All over the place. Mostly Sephora, Target or WalMart. Occasional Shoppers Drug Mart's.

DAY 22: Favourite toner?
- I don't use a toner. The Clinique one dried my skin out, I'm trying an Estee Lauder one which looks promising, but generally I'm not a fan. I'm going to try some out though!

DAY 23: Favourite eyeshadow palette?
- Urban Decay "Naked Basics" and "Nars "And God Created The Woman" are my most used.

DAY 24: What texture of eyeshadow do you prefer? Cream, powder, pigment etc?
- Powder. Hands down. I like a cream sometimes, but I use powder eyeshadow 9 times out of 10.

DAY 25: Favourite eyeliner?
- MAC's gel eyeliner's in "Dipdown" and "Blacktrack" are awesome. I also love Rimmel's "Scandaleyes" liners.

DAY 26: Do you wear makeup everyday?
 - Definitely not.

DAY 27: Favourite powder?
- Rimmel's "Stay Matte", Hourglass' Ambient Lighting in "Dim Light", MAC's Mineralize Skin Finish Natural in "Light Plus"

DAY 28: Favourite makeup remover?
- Clinique's "Take the Day Off" cleansing balm.

DAY 29: Favourite type of eyeliner? Gel, kohl, liquid, powder etc?
- Gel usually, but I like Stila's "Stay All Day" liquid liner quite a lot.

DAY 30: Photo of yourself with and without makeup. - Sorry

I hope you guys enjoyed this, I know there aren't any pretty pictures but if you want further detail leave a comment and I'll try to elaborate. Thanks for reading!

Lazy Nights

Some nights I get home, after work or class (or exhausting Christmas shopping) although I want to take all my makeup off, I sort of don't want to look like an oily mess for the rest of the night. On these days I do two cleansings, one when I get home, and a proper one (same as my nighttime routine I posted about here) before I go to bed. This is for lazy nights when I want to look half-decent makeup-less, but don't want to leave my makeup on for hours after I'm done the day. Caroline Hirons (amazing lady with an amazing blog) tweeted recently "If you get home at 6 and go to bed at 11 that's 5 extra hours your skin could be covered in oils/balms. Not dirt, makeup and SPF." After reading this, I've been inspired to give my skin time to breathe. Lately, I've worn makeup everyday. I'm trying out new products to write about, my skin looks better in makeup (now my skin is actually getting better) but to be honest I think it needs to slow down a bit and not be covered in anything too heavy until bedtime.

 To start, Vichy Purete Thermale Waterproof Eye Makeup remover. This is one of those eye makeup removers in a bottle with half oil/half other stuff which you shake up, pour onto a cotton pad and gently swipe over your eyes to remove eyeshadow, eyeliner and mascara. I bought this because it was on sale during the summer and it's actually really nice. Not too drying, doesn't leave a really oily residue on my skin and takes even waterproof mascara off easily. Recently I haven't been rubbing my eyes at all, but soaking a cotton pad in this stuff and just holding it onto my eye for about 30 seconds. It seems to work just as well without asking for premature crows feet wrinkles.

 After my eye's are clean, I use Bioderma, cult beauty cleansing water. This stuff is really good. Don't get me wrong, it is NOT a proper cleanser. It's a quick-makeup-switch cleanser, just-been-to-the-gym-and-need-to-get-sweat-off-of-my-face cleanser, not an end of the day take it all off cleanser. However, when I plan on double cleansing like I do tonight, I soak two cotton pads and take off the face makeup. I use one to get the majority off and another just to make sure it's all gone. If there's any miniscule residue left, my cleansing balm will get it later.

 Next I use a light moisturizer so that I don't look shiny for the rest of the night. I do love this moisturizer, it's gel based, great under makeup and definitely works to keep your skin soft. Raved about it before so I won't go into too much detail.

 For a quick and effective lipbalm I apply Elizabeth Ardens Eight Hour Cream. This gel like moisturizer is super fragrant (ugh) but works really, really well. I apply this to my lips mostly, but I've applied it to my elbows and other particularly dry patches before too.

 Finally I take one of these demon hairdresser-ish clips and clip the hair out of my face. Slightly more attractive that a bun on top of my head, but keeps the hair out of my face.

Finished product, clean skin for a lazy night in without looking like an oily mess.

Hope you guys enjoyed this post and don't forget to second-cleanse your face tonight!

For Caroline Hirons Twitter, click here.

My Bedtime Skincare Routine

So since I've written a Morning Skincare Routine (which you can find here), I thought it was about time I did a bedtime version. My bedtime version varies a lot, it is really dependent on how my skin is acting that day. Lately my jawline has been dry because of acne and the Clindets acne treatment I'm currently using. I've been having some breakouts which I am self-diagnosing as both hormonal and stress related, as it is almost exam time and I'm a mess. I've been trying to use richer products in my skincare routine, but currently I am serum-less, so I don't have that extra step to help boost my moisture levels. Some nights I use an oil or an overnight mask, but I thought I'd keep it simple and to the point for my everyday steps.

 The before shot. Note the exhaustion and frizziness of my hair, I was rained on after class tonight.

 Firstly I tie my hair out of my face into a ponytail and although I added a thin hairband here, usually I use a huge chunky one that ensures my hair never gets wet from facewashing. For photo purposes I used a skinny headband today.

 I know this looks like a funny step to photograph, but I ALWAYS brush my teeth before taking my makeup off or washing my face. The old wives tale of putting toothpaste on a pimple is a nasty one. Toothpaste is incredibly drying on skin, and I want to make sure I wash off any toothpaste remains before my skincare routine begins.

 Up next is my favourite Clinique Cleansing Balm. I use this twice daily. I scoop out a little bit (more than I would use in the mornings) and pop it all over my face to make sure it'll melt and spread evenly around my face.

 This is the result. Makeup off- residue everywhere. I realize during this step I look like the Joker, but I have to be honest with you and add it in. It looks messy, but my skin feels amazing.

 I wet a washcloth under warm (not hot) water. I like to use a washcloth because when I'm using such a gentle cleaner the washcloth acts as an exfoliant- without being too abrasive.

 After washing the cleaner off you can see the wonderful redness that lies beneath. My eyebrows look nice and unruly after the cleanse, and this is an all round unflattering picture. But for the sake of this blog I will include it.

 Next up is my Clindets Acne Treatment, a product I've been using for the past 2 and a half weeks. For further information I have a few updates you can see on the sidebar on my homepage.

 I sweep this treatment all over my face, being sure to avoid the eye area. It has an obvious alcohol smell and burns if you get it too close to your eyes.

 Next I use Hydraluron, a hyaluronic serum that helps your moisturizer to work better.

  I apply about a pea size amount for my whole face.

 I then use Benefit's Total Moisture Hydrating Cream, a nice thick cream I did a post about here.

 I put this all over my face, and use quite a lot, to keep my skin hydrated all night.

 After rubbing in my moisturizer I use Bobbi Browns Hydrating Eye Cream.

 I dot this all around my eye socket and use my ring finger to pat it into my skin, very gently.

Once it's all done I put on a lipbalm, make some tea and get into bed. Excuse my eyebrows, I'm trying to grow them out so they'll maybe look less sparse. They look quite unruly here, but I'm working on it.

I hope you're all having a good week!

I've Been Mentioned!

Happy Tuesday everyone, hope you're having a great start to your week!
My roommate from last year recently posted about me being a con-artist (can't really complain) so I thought I'd feature it here for you all to see!
Click here to see my friend Brooke's blog, I hope you enjoy!

 I did two makeovers on Brooke last year, here is the before shot of the first.

 Here is the after shot of the first look.

 Later in the year we did another, this is the second before shot.

 The second after shot.

And a close up of the eyes.

Thanks for the mention and for being my model, Brooke!

Benefit's Total Moisture Day Cream

I thought I'd just write a quick review on a product I've been loving lately. I've had this moisturizer since August, and I know for skin products it's a good idea to test it for a while before writing up a whole review. This moisturizer comes in the cutest packaging which definitely helped sell me. It's a thick day cream which is quite sticky and needs to sink into your skin for a while before makeup application. At first I didn't like this moisturizer because I'm used to a gel formula, or something that's lighter on my skin. The consistency and smell reminds me of Estee Lauder Day Wear moisturizer which my Mum always used to use, and I always used to borrow. After getting over the sticky consistency I really like this moisturizing cream, I think once it has settled into the skin it is a great base for makeup and I use it as nighttime as well. I apply a thick layer and rub it in at nighttime and when I wake up I find my skin is much more radiant and considerably softer than before. For a cosmetics brand I am thoroughly impressed with this moisturizer and I'm intrigued about other products they have in their skincare line. Benefit always impresses me with the products they come out with... and their packaging is so cute, everything they make would be great gifts for friends and family.

5 Minute Everyday Makeup

So I couldn't help but notice I've had the most views today than I have ever had before. This is probably my friend Sara's fault, but I suppose it's okay. I thought I'd do a quick everyday makeup tutorial since I needed to put makeup on anyway, I'll probably go to the grocery store and buy copious amounts of chips later. Anyway, here we go.

 To begin I just want to rave about this new foundation. Rimmel really are my favourite drugstore makeup brand. This isn't just because it's a British brand, everything I have tried from their line is fantastic, with the exception of their BB cream. Anyway, this Clean Finish foundation (I use the shade 120 Ivory) was purchased because I need a new foundation and I'm very pale with pink (pfft, red) undertones in my skin. I've only used this twice so I shouldn't be raving about it yet, but my goodness it's fantastic, and under $6.00. The colour is perfect, a tiny bit darker than my skintone but in a sort of flattering way. It evens my skintone completely, isn't totally matte, but has a bit of a nice, natural glow to it. I love it so far, I just wish it had a pump dispenser.

 Here is how it makes my skin look, very even and smooth (although that's also because my skin has been about 1000x better lately with Clindets), it allows my natural redness shine through in a flattering way. I love this, the formula sets really nicely and doesn't feel sticky at all.

 Next up I used Natural Collections blush in "Peach Melba". Natural Collection is a British brand which I loved while living in the UK. My wonderful friend Barb's sister is at school in Scotland and brought this back for me last Christmas, it's a great neutral, peachy shade.

 Rimmel's "Stay Matte" powder in translucent is another all-time fave. It mattifies the skin, doesn't look cakey, and sets my makeup wonderfully.

 On a day to day basis, I like to use a one eyeshadow sweep for my eyelids. I love Benefit's "Rich Beach" and the bronze colour isn't too dark for the winter months, nor does it make me look paler than I am.

 Bobbi Brown's Intensifying Long-Wear Mascara has a full review here, but in short it's an excellent everyday mascara without any false-lash drama.

 To fill in my sparse brows, I use Benefit's Brow-Zing's in the shade light. The powder fills in my eyebrows nicely and the shade is perfect.

 On my lips I used MAC's Modestly, a shade that's a deeper rosy brown colour. It's a great fall/winter neutral with a creamy formula.

 Here is a closeup on the lips, and below the full face. The lighting in my basement apartment isn't amazing, nor is my iPhone camera, so I hope you get a general idea of how it all looks.

Manicure Monday Week 2

Hello everyone,
It's that time of week where I post about how often I paint my nails, even during weeks where I have exams, essays and presentations. Anyway, here are the colours that made it on to my nails this week.

 First up we have Essie's "It's Genius", a beautiful deep jewel-toned purple with tiny gold shimmer running throughout the polish. I actually topped this colour off twice and could have easily worn it all week. This is quite a bad picture, but the colour is such an excellent choice for fall/winter.

 Secondly I have Essie's "Muchi Muchi" as a base, a very pretty pale pink. On top I have one of Essie's Luxe Effects top coats in "Set in Stones". The glitter is very chunky and pretty, and it's quite a good one to use as a topcoat as you can use the brush to build up the amount of glitter you want. This manicure was pretty girly and actually annoyed me after a day so I took it off. I think next time I'll try the silver glitter with a darker colour and leave the pink for the summer.

Finally I have Essie's "Forever Yummy" on my nails. This colour was chosen purely because I'm starting to feel festive and this red is so classic I couldn't resist. It's a shade or two deeper than Essie's "Lollipop", and those shades make all the difference. I find with a red being a bit deeper it becomes a bit more wearable for everyday. With a glossy topcoat I think red nails are so pretty for this time of year.

Hope you liked my second installment of this little series, let me know if you enjoyed it!

Week Two- Clindets Acne Therapy

I thought I'd just write a quick update on how my treatment with Clindets Acne Therapy is going. I've reduced my usage to once per day, and I began with two but decided it was too drying for my skin, particularly around my jawline. Even with the treatment once every day my skin is still quite dry, and I think it has something to do with running out of my Vichy Aqualia Thermal Serum. The serum was excellent at keeping my skin hydrated and it's been added to my Christmas list so hopefully I'll have it soon enough to save my skin. Overall my skin is the most blemish free it's been since I was probably about 15 years old. It's much smoother and softer, and the acne is certainly disappearing. I have had a few minor breakouts but nothing compared to what I used to get, and I think they're mainly hormonal. I've been using oils on my skin to keep it as hydrated as possible and it's definitely helping. Although my skin is getting quite dry, I am going to continue using the Clindets wipes because the results have been incredible. For only 2 weeks use, I think it's going really well and I will continue to do weekly updates until the 12 weeks are up.
Thanks for reading, let me know if you have any questions.

My Top 5 Blushes

These are my top five favourite blushes of the moment, they're great for fall/winter, but I love them all year round and they're tried and tested. I've had all of these particular blushes for well over 6 weeks, most for well over a year. I love how they look, how they wear and thought I'd give an in depth review of each of them.

 Here are swatches from left to right: Benefit "Hervana", Nars "Orgasm", Tarte "Exposed", Dior "Rosy Glow" and Josie Maran "Pink Escape".

 All of the blushes have beautiful packaging, Dior's is so luxurious and Benefit's is really fun and cute. Josie Maran's is excellent for traveling as it's so small, and Tarte's packaging is great because the colour of the blush is the colour of the compact.

 This is Benefit's "Hervana". It's well loved, I already own a backup and I think this shade is lovely. It's a more cool-toned pink which is great for me because I have a lot of redness in my cheeks and this is a subtle colour that actually shows up!

 Nars "Orgasm" is a cult beauty shade, a beautiful peach colour with gold shimmer running through it. This is really great with a tan in the summer, but also a lovely colour for these colder months, especially during party season.

 Tarte's "Exposed" is probably my favourite blush colour... it's a rosy nude shade which is so perfect for paler skintones. The formula of this blush is excellent, and I know I ramble on about this shade all the time but it's perfect. It works well all year round for a no fuss blush shade perfect for everyday makeup.

 Next up is Dior's "Rosy glow". The picture I took make's it look a lot brighter than it is, in reality it is a little paler than this but still very bright. It has a blue toned base, which is perfect for my pale skintone but the pink shade itself really creates a natural, healthy glow to the face.

 I only have this one cream blush making my top 5, and that's because I'm pretty late aboard the cream blush boat. This is Josie Marans cream blush in "Pink Escape". Again, it's cool toned and quite a dark reddish pink but it looks lovely on the cheeks, it's very easy to blend and a little goes a long way since this blush is so pigmented. This blush is great for winter because it really gives the look of just being outside for a walk in the cold, and it makes your cheeks look naturally flushed and pretty.

I hope you enjoyed this post and you're having a great weekend!