25 Beauty Questions Tag

1. Do you remember your first makeup item?

I used to get makeup in my stocking at Christmas and one year I remember I had a rollerball lipgloss from Claire's Accessories. It smelled so good, however it did just look like I had smothered my lips in olive oil...

If we are talking proper makeup then it was a Rimmel face powder. I used to sneak it on in the toilets when I got to school because my Mum knew I wasn't allowed to wear makeup. It was far too light for my skin so I looked like a chalky ghost!

2. Describe your perfect mascara. Have you found one that fits your specifications?

One that makes my lashes look fake. The closest I have got so far is Too Faced Better than Sex however I still felt that I looked like a naked mole rat (not sassy) so ended up having Volume Eyelash Extensions - best.decision.ever.

3. What kind of coverage do you prefer from foundation?

Medium to full however I have just discovered Dr Jart - Premium BB Cream and I am addicted. It makes my skin look like it is glowing from within.

4. Favourite high end brand?

Estee Lauder

5. What cosmetic brands have you always wanted to try but still haven’t? 

Charlotte Tilbury

6. Favourite drugstore brand?

Loreal

7. Do you wear fake eyelashes?

Before I had my extensions, on a night out my holy grail eyelashes were Ardell Demi Wispies. I have a pea head and they are the perfect size, shape and volume.

8. Is there any kind of makeup you can’t leave the house without?

I love having no-makeup-days so no not really.

9. What is your most cherised beauty product?

Nars Laguna Bronzer - I've hit pan though - sad times. I am also newly in love with my Morphe eyeshadow palettes - 350S in my favourite.

10. How often do you shop for makeup? Do you like to pick up an item here and there or get lots of goodies at once?

Once a week generally - damn you Asos. I just buy items here and there though. It spreads the pleasure out!

 11. Do you have a “beauty budget” or you spend freely? 

I don't have a set budget so I am just sensible.......*cough*.

But I still live at home with my parents so have no living expenses. I really should start saving...

12. Do you utilize coupons, rewards cards and sales when you shop for cosmetics?

I spend so much on Asos that I earn vouchers most months - I usually use them to buy makeup rather than clothes.

13. What type of product do you buy the most of?

Surprisingly, cleansers and moisturisers. I've recently discovered Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Wash. De-licious.

14. Do you have a favourite place to shop for makeup?

Boots

15. Do you like trying new skincare products or do you keep a certain routine? 

Trying new products, even when I have discovered a routine that works, is my favourite thing.

16. Favourite bath and body brand?

Lush

17. If you could only buy from one brand, which brand would you choose?

Estee Lauder

18.  What brand do you think has the best packaging?

Nars - its so velvety soft 

19. Which celebrity always has great makeup?

Rosie Huntington-Whitely & Millie Mackintosh

20. Do you like multifunctional products like lip and cheek stains?

No - I know it is silly but I get scared I will have a reaction because the product is less suited to one of the parts of the body!

21. Are you clumsy in putting on makeup?

Bottom lash mascara never ends well! Also, I whack bronzer on like its going out of fashion. Looking back on photos in 20 years time I will laugh but for now...the bronzier the better!

22. Do you use makeup base/primer for the eyes?

Always! I bought the Nyx Glitter Primer for my work Christmas party and put loose glitter over the top - it lasted so well! Even after dropping my killer shapes on the dance floor for 6 hours straight.

23. How many hair products do you use on a typical day?

Zero. Ain't nothing gonna tame this mane. Oh, I use shampoo obviously! My current favourite (which is rare for me) is Loreal Elvive Extraordinary Clay.

24. What do you apply first, concealer or foundation?

Foundation.

25. Do you ever consider taking makeup classes?

I'd love to but find all the answers I need are on YouTube.

How would you have answered these questions?

xoxo

Dupe for the Clinique Chubby Stick Sculpting Contour?

Every man and his dog seems to have jumped on the contouring bandwagon in the hope that they will wake up looking like one of Kardashian/Jenner “klan” *see what I did there haha* sorry.

Now, although I am a long way from being the bronzed goddesses that they all seem to be, a little bit of contouring makes me feel slightly more confident in my own skin, slims the face and makes me appear like I have actually been out in the sun and haven’t been sat inside watching back to back Jeremy Kyle episodes all Summer. *Oops*.

A few months ago Clinique jumped onto the contouring bandwagon by releasing their own chubby stick that made the ‘oh so tricky’ method of contouring that little bit easier. It allows you to swipe some of the scary looking cream product onto the skin with no mess of powder products that are also a little less forgiving if you accidentally apply too much or in the wrong place. Seems good? Well yes…it does make fool-proof contouring slightly more accessible for us but the price tag of £19 was a little off-putting.

Ladies I present to you….Makeup Revolution The One BlushStick in the shade ‘Matte Malibu’.

You simply twist up the product (which I admit does look a little scary in the packaging), apply it to the areas you want to create a shadow (temples, under the cheekbones, along the jaw line and if you’re really brave along the sides of the nose), and blend out seamlessly with a brush. My brush of choice is the Real Techniques Buffing Brush as I find it firm enough to blend the cream product out whilst not dragging the skin. It is also an ideal size to get precisely below the cheek bones without moving the product all over the face. 

The price? £5.

I cannot fault this product. It is so creamy, a lovely colour, blends beautifully, and best of all only costs £5 which I think is perfect – particularly if you are unsure whether contouring is for you.

I hope this helps fill a little gap in your makeup bags!

Available from Superdrug stores and online at http://www.superdrug.com/Make-Up/Face/Blusher/Makeup-Revolution-The-One-Blush-Stick-Matte-Malibu/p/358201#.Va-ihv7F95M  

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La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo [+] ... worth the hype?

I’ve been sitting on this blog post for a while but couldn’t quite believe that one product could make such a dramatic difference to my life. I decided to wait a while and double check that it really was this one change that was making the difference. Anyway, with my boyfriend out for the evening, and having just applied it again I decided now was the perfect opportunity to word vomit about this truly life-changing product.

A bit of history to start…

My skin is by no means troublesome. I did not suffer with severe acne as a teenager however I did have regular unpredictable breakouts on my chin that spread like wildfire. Once I got one, the next day there would be four. I did not know how to control them so just picked them (sorry for the TMI) and let them scab over. This left me with visible scarring and redness on my chin which I thought would be there forever. This vicious circle continued for years until I plucked up the courage to spend £15.50 on a product that I had heard so many others rave about. 

Let’s just say, I have not looked back since….

I have not had a single spot since using this product for the past 7 months. That is unheard of. My scarring has also almost vanished and redness of the skin in other areas (around my nose and cheeks were my problem areas) has pretty much all gone. I am confident enough to only wear makeup bases once or twice a week now which my makeup junkie self is kind of missing but wearing it would be a waste when I have got nothing to hide.

I cleanse my face as usual every morning and then apply the cream about 10 minutes before my makeup. It dries very quickly and does not leave you feeling greasy in the slightest. I would go as far to say that it actually feels cooling and soothing on the skin.

I go about my day as usual and then repeat the process before bed (cleanse as usual and then apply the product).

As I said before…how can I be sure that it is THIS product that is making the difference and not a sublime combination of a few?

Well, due to me being a university student and the lack of money that comes alongside that…£15.50 was an eye-watering amount to spend on 40ml of face cream. As my student loan slipped through my fingers and the tube was becoming more and more empty, I began to use it more sparingly and occasionally missed an application or two….my skin did not enjoy it and I could feel the beginnings of a breakout brewing. Not the usual corkers though, just small warnings of what was about to come. I quickly slapped on some more cream and by the morning all had been forgotten and my skin was blemish-free again.

I cannot recommend this cream enough. I stock piled 2 more tubes when my student loan came out in April because Boots was offering £5 worth of bonus points when you bought it. Despite having to use it twice a day, the 40ml tube lasts surprisingly well. I managed to make one last 4 months.

If you are on the fence whether to try this then I thoroughly recommend you do. Although it seems expensive, the cost-effectiveness of using this rather than trying a gazillion different products to maybe have the same effect makes it totally worth it…even on my tight budget.

You can buy it online from Boots here.

I hope it works as well for you as it did for me.

What are your holy grail skincare products?

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25 Facts About Me Tag

I love reading posts like this. It lets you get to know a little bit more about the person sitting behind the computer screen and makes them seem more human! Let's get going...

What is your middle name? Sarah

What was favourite subject at school? Geography...although I can't label anything on a world map... They fail to teach you the useful stuff. I could tell you some crazy shiz about how waterfalls form though. 

What is your favourite drink? Costa Hot Chocolate. Although my boyfriend could give them a pretty good run for their money.

What is your favourite song at the moment? Maroon 5 - Sugar

What is your favourite food? Chinese takeaway! 

What is the last thing you bought? A new dressing table

Favourite book of all time? The Pilot's Wife - Anita Shreve

Favourite Colour? Pink or orange

Do you have any pets? Yes, a miniature Yorkshire Terrier and a cat

Favourite Perfume? Chanel Coco Mademoiselle

Favourite Holiday? Disneyland Paris

Are you married? No

Have you ever been out of the country, if so how many times? 4 times (I think!)

Do you speak any other language? French, German and Latin

How many siblings do you have? Two older brothers

What is your favourite shop? Topshop

Favourite restaurant? Chesters

When was the last time you cried? Hmmmm...last week maybe. About my uncontrollable pile of university work!

Favourite Blog? Faye's Fix

Favourite Movie? Any Christmas film...Elf, Arthur Christmas, The Grinch, Nativity...etc.

Favourite TV show? Breaking Bad and Keeping Up With the Kardashians

PC or Mac? PC

What phone do you have? Gold iPhone 6

How tall are you? 5ft 2inches

Can you cook? I'm not great in that department...

I hope you enjoyed getting to know a little bit more about me. Let me know some of your answers to these questions.

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I'm coming back!

Hello!

Long time no speak...

Sorry I have been M.I.A over the last few months. University has been taking over my life.

However...I have been doing lots of shopping recently *oops* to try and numb the pain of university work and so you can expect some posts to come soon to show you what I have been buying and my thoughts on it all. YAAAY.

Until then, here's a picture of my dog being super cute. It's no wonder I don't get any work done..

What have I missed while I've been away? Have you tried any new products recently that I should try too?

x

Simple - Kind To Skin Illuminating Radiance Cream

Well hello there you little beauty. How I haven't discovered this gorgeous cream before I do not know! Where has it been hiding? I purchased this on a whim in Sainsburys when it was on offer reduced to £5.99. My skin was in need of a bit of perking up. I think it had realised the end of the summer was nigh and therefore needed a final flourish and this cream certainly helped. The handy pump on the bottle makes this face cream seem more high end than it really is and ensures you don't use too much product. A small amount goes a long way with this luxurious cream that melts instantly into the skin. It leaves your skin not only feeling super soft but also glowing. Tiny (almost invisible) flecks of glitter makes the skin look radiant and feel incredible whilst not making you look like the dreaded disco ball. This cream is perfect under foundation to give a glowy complexion or merely by itself to give the skin a lovely 'awake' appearance.
I am wearing it now as I write this having applied it a good few hours ago but my skin remains soft and glowing. I thoroughly recommend this and it certainly will be repurchased in the future to give my confidence and skin the boost that it often needs.

Have you tried any of the Simple kind to skin range? Which products would you recommend me to try next?
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Small Boots Haul

So I went to Boots today as there is a mammoth 'Buy one get one half price' offer on and I couldn't resist it. I went in to buy some more of the Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatment as this has made such a difference to my hair both length-wise and condition-wise over the past few months, but then I saw the offer and what went from a "I'm just nipping in" soon turned into me spending forever browsing all of the aisles. Having spent ages browsing my haul turned out to actually be tiny, but I am pleased with my 'select few' items.

So like I said, I bought the Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatment which you put on in between shampooing and conditioning your hair and leave it on for 5 minutes, massaging it into the roots and then through the lengths. I LOVE THIS PRODUCT. The smell, the texture and most importantly the results are all perfect. It honestly has made such a difference to my hair since I have been using it. I previously had a graduated bob which has taken over a year to reach below shoulder length, however since using this product it has started growing so quickly and the hair feels much stronger (which is important for me as my hair has been bleached blonde).

The next thing I picked up was a bottle of Organix Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil. I knew I wanted to get some kind of oil to put in my hair to make it softer and shinier however I had no clue which one to purchase. This was a relatively cheap one compared to the others (£6.99) but had a good write up online so I thought I would try it. The pump at the top is perfect as it spritzes the product out quite widely so you can get good coverage of the hair with only a couple of pumps. The bottle explains that the product can be used on dry hair or towel-dried hair. It certainly makes my hair look shiny, however I have not noticed any difference in how soft it makes my hair feel when I spray it onto dry hair which is what I really was hoping this product would achieve. When sprayed onto towel-dried hair I think it does make my hair feel softer however not to the extent I was hoping for. I think I might have to just bite the bullet and save up for the real Moroccan Oil.

The final 2 items are picked up were a couple of the Rimmel Salon Pro Nail Varnishes. I have been looking for a reddy orange summer colour for a while now and when I saw the 'Summer Orange' I knew I HAD to have it. It is the perfect summer shade with the ideal blend of red and orange. I love this range of nail varnishes and usually find them to have great colour pay-off. This colour however required at least 2 coats to make it a block of colour and I am tempted to put on a third coat. The colour is beautiful though and just what I have been looking for.

The last product is the Rimmel Salon Pro Nail Varnish in 'Navy Seal'. I LOVE THIS COLOUR. It is the perfect navy blue colour with a slight hint of purple in. What makes this varnish even better was I only needed one coat to achieve the desired coverage. I have a number of nail varnishes from this range and they are all lovely. They give a glossy, almost gel-look finish, and last for a long time without needing touching up, fading, or chipping.

Have you tried any of these products? Have you ever tried a hair oil? If so, which would you recommend?
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