What I've Won #1

I absolutely love reading these sorts of posts and seeing what goodies people have received, and I seem to have been quite lucky recently and won a few giveaways so I thought I would start up my own little series and show you what I have won!

This giveaway was hosted my Lizzie who writes xBeautyMagic.  I was so surprised when I received a direct message from her on twitter to say that I had won!
The first product is the Makeup Revolution Iconic 3 Palette which I have been contemplating buying for a while! I had noticed that this was a dupe for the naked 3 so I was desperate to do a comparison! I will hopefully be putting up a comparison post at some point within the next few weeks so you can really see whether it is worth spending £37 on the Urban Decay one.
The next product is the Zoella Fizz Bar which I am so excited to try! I haven't got anything from Zoella beauty yet, surprisingly enough, so I look forward to using this and letting you know what I think!

left to right: luscious, in love with ginger

I also received 2 lipsticks, one from Makeup Revolution and one from Rimmel.  The Makeup Revolution Lipstick is in the shade 'Luscious' and you can see from the picture above that it is a really nice peachy/corally shade that I think will be perfect in the warmer months.  The other one is the Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in the shade 'in love with ginger' which was extremely popular last year.  It is a little darker and more red than the Makeup Revolution one, and I can't wait to wear this in the summer. I put it on as soon as it came through the post, and I knew straight away that I was going to use this a lot!

For eyes, I received the Maybelline Color Tattoo in the shade 'Metallic Pomegranate'. It is a little bit more red than the camera is picking up and is quite similar to Mac Cranberry which I think I will blend over the top to set it.  This is such a beautiful colour and would create such a gorgeous red toned smokey eye! Cant wait to play with this! The last product is the Revlon 3D Volume Mascara which Lizzie said is her favourite mascara at the moment so I am looking forward to using this.  It has a plastic wand, which is immediately a winner for me and it seems like it is something that would fit my needs!

That concludes todays 'What I've Won' post and there will be one up in the next few weeks when my other prizes arrive!

Emily xx

HUGE Beauty Haul!

left to right: Stila in the nude, Kat von D Agatha, Stila copper, Mac cranberry and the Mary Loumanizer.

So I've bought a few things......well a lot of things recently! These are products that I have been collecting since before Christmas and there are so many to talk about!  I won't go into a great amount of detail, otherwise I would be left with an impressive novel at the end, so I will give a brief overview of each and then hopefully there will be an in-depth review coming soon!

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation // This is an old favourite of mine, as you might remember from the spring last year. I spotted this for £3 in a Blog Sale last week and I just couldn't help myself! I now remember why I loved it so much, the perfect amount of coverage with a beautiful radiant finish which last all day!

Makeup Revolution The One Blush Stick - Matte Malibu // As mentioned in my Contouring and Highlighting Post, I bought this as a cheaper alternative to the Nars Matte Multiple.  It hasn't failed to impress as with every other product I have tried from this brand.  It glides on smoothly and blends like a dream! A fantastic product for a cream contour, regardless of skin tone!

Elf Studio Eyebrow Kit - Medium // I have never really bothered with my eyebrows, since I have a full fringe I felt it was a waste of time!  This was a bit of an impulse buy and I bought it just to play around with really.  So far so good, the gel glides on smoothly, keeping all hairs in place and then the powder just sets them and makes them look very natural.

Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick - Agatha // This is another blog sale find! I saw this for £5 and thought it looked interesting so I took the plunge! It is quite matte and can be a little bit patchy and drying, so I layer my Tanya Burr lipstick over the top to create the perfect nude!

Seventeen Skin Wow Primer // This was another impulse buy, I saw it in boots and thought it looked fun so it wen straight in the basket! This is a multi-purpose product, you can use it as a primer before foundation, mixed in with your foundation or as a liquid highlight after foundation! This is the perfect way to get a really natural and healthy glow back into your dull winter skin and I think I will get a lot of use out of this product.

Elf Studio HD Undereye Setting Powder // After hearing Shaaanxo raving about this, I have been on the hunt for it for a while! Elf had stopped selling it and I couldn't find it, until I finally tracked it down on amazon! I am so impressed with this, it sets concealer perfectly and really prevents creasing as well as highlighting and giving your face slightly more definition.  Definitely worth picking up if you can find it!

Zara Perfume // I was browsing Zara the other day, and when smelling their perfumes I was really hooked on this one! None of them really took my fancy, apart from 'Femme'.  As the name would suggest, this is quite a feminine and sophisticated fragrance that I think I could get away with all year round!

theBalm Mary Lou Manizer // Being one of the beauty industry's best loved highlighters, I just had to try it! I managed to find it on feel unique in the sale so I bought it without even thinking about it! This product really is worth the hype, it adds such a beautiful glow to the skin without a fleck of glitter in sight and really makes it look as if you are glowing from within.  It can also double up as an eyeshadow as well!

Mac Cranberry Eyeshadow // This has been an eyeshadow that has been on my wish list for a very long time! I was in Mac the other day looking at it, and I just thought, what the hell?! They didn't have it in the regular pot, so I was persuaded to buy a quad and a pan! I am now trying to figure out which other eyeshadows I want to put in here to fill it up! The one eyeshadow looks lonely :(

Stila Eyeshadow - Copper // I have been after a copper eyeshadow for a while, and when I spotted this in the look fantastic sale, I realised it was perfect!  The formula is very buttery and immensely pigmented and blends like a dream! It is definitely something I am going to get a lot of use out of for many different looks.

Stila Long Wear Lip Color - In the Nude // Another purchase from the look fantastic sale, this looked like a lovely brown nude and I assumed it would be matte as it is 'long wear'. I was mistaken and this is almost similar to a creme sheen formula from Mac. I haven't worn it properly yet to judge the longevity so I will keep you posted!

Ren Clarimatte T-Zone Control Cleansing Gel // This was reduced to £8.50 in the Space NK sale and it seemed like something that was right up my street! I haven't used this yet, but I have high hopes for it as Ren seems to be a brand that I get on well with!

Mini Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask // This is another blog sale pick.  I bought this as a perfect pick me up on dull skin days which I seem to be having rather often at the moment! I have to say, this is one of the most bizarre masks I have ever used! It is so weird that I don even know how to begin to describe it, but what I will say is that it really does feel invigorating and gives your skin a kick up the backside. It really just puts a bit of life back into your complexion!

Mac 217 Dupe // I can't remember who it was, but someone was raving about this a while ago and said that is was the perfect dupe for the Mac 217 which I have been eyeing up for a while.  I only paid 99p for it (although the price has gone up to £1.05 now) so it was practically a steal! It is very soft, washes well and is perfect for applying and blending all sorts of shadows, whether they be cream or powder.  Definitely worth a look.

Real Techniques Setting Brush // Last but not least, this is a tool that I have been umming and ahhing over for a while. I saw it in the feel unique sale and just decided that it was now or never! I had originally planned to use it for setting under my eyes, however I feel it is better suited to highlighting.  I prefer a more dense and precise brush for under my eyes, and this is the perfect size and shape for highlighting so that is the main thing that I use it for now.

Phew, that was one hell of a lot to talk about! Let me know your opinions on any of these products, and what are your most recent beauty purchases?

Emily xx

The Sunday Edit #34

This week has been slightly stressful, what with going back to school and trying to get back into a routine.  Yesterday I went in town for a little bit of shopping, and ended up coming home with a huge prim ark bag, a mac bag and a zara bag! I promised myself that I wouldn't spend too much money, as I am saving up for a Michael Kors watch, but I just couldn't help myself! I am hoping that today will be a productive day, I have a title page and a mind map  to do for starting my Art exam and a ton of homework! I'm hoping that I will have time to write up some blogposts as well, I took some pictures yesterday and I wrote one up last night so hopefully I can get this week's done and possibly next weeks as well so I have plenty of time for school work.

Pictured above is products that will be featured in a 'What I've Won' post, as I recently won 2 giveaways! This one is from xBeautyMagic and I also have another one coming from Vampy Varnish hopefully this week!  As you will see tomorrow, I seem to have accumulated a rather considerable amount of beauty products over the past month!  I have so many new and exciting products to try and write about, it excites me so much!

I felt like I had a lot to tell you today, but I have had a complete mind blank and I can't think of anything else! I hope you have all had a lovely week!

Emily xx

Contouring and Highlighting for Pale Skin

I've never really been that interested in the whole contouring and highlighting malarkey since the Kardashians made it famous, it just seemed like too many extra steps in my routine and I couldn't be bothered.  It wasn't until recently that I had a dabble around, and came up with the perfect routine for me, and now I couldn't be without it! For people with pale skin, like me, this task becomes quite a struggle! If you don't have the perfect products, you can look like an orange muddy mess which is far from attractive!  Today, I will be talking you through the steps I take to create a subtle and natural, but very effective contour and highlight.

The first product I use after foundation is the Garnier Anti-Dark Circle Roll-On in the shade fair to do a bit of highlighting.  I use this in a triangle shape under my eyes and up onto the tops of my cheekbones, down the bridge of my nose, on my cupids bow and under where I would put my contour.  I blend all of this in with my trusty Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge to ensure everything is seamlessly blended and looks natural.

Next is the contour! I take a thin line of the Makeup Revolution The One Blush Stick in the shade 'Matte Malibu' under my cheekbones, slightly down the sides of my nose and under my jaw line.  I am so impressed with this product, it is so creamy and blends seamlessly (providing you're not too heavy handed).  Definitely better value than the Nars Matte Multiple which has an RRP of £30! I blend all of this in with either my Real Techniques expert face brush or the cheek brush, depending on which one is clean at the time!

To set under my eyes and retain the highlight that I have already applied, I use the Elf HD Under Eye Setting Powder on a big fluffy brush.  This powder is white with some sheen to it so it really gives your eyes a pick me up and adds to the bright eyed effect.  It is a really subtle way to give your face a bit more definition and stop it from making it look flat.

Last but certainly not least, I use theBalm Mary Lou-Manizer which is certainly worth the hype! It adds the most amazing glow to your skin, without a fleck of glitter in sight! This is seriously giving my holy grail Mac Soft and gentle a run for its money! I take this on the real techniques setting brush and just dust it on the tops of my cheekbones, down the bridge of my nose and on my cupids bow to really bring some radiance back into my dull complexion.  I also use this as an eyeshadow on a daily basis, and it is perfect!

That is all for my contouring and highlighting routine, these few extra steps really make a huge difference to the whole look and just add that little bit more oomph to your whole face!  This routine is perfect for my ghostly complexion and is just the right amount for me without looking too much! what are your favourite contouring and highlighting products?

Emily xx

The £12 Michael Kors Dupe

Like most girls, I have been lusting over a Michael Kors watch for the longest time.  I do have a sekonda one, which is similar but its still doesn't quite make the cut.  Whilst shopping the next sale, I found this little beauty! It looks almost identical to the Rose Gold Michael Kors one that I have been wanting for ages!  The only difference between the £12 watch and the £249 watch is the infamous michael kors label which really is what you pay for! I will warn you, they are quite big and I had to go and get 5 links taken out although, thinking about it, I do have abnormally small midget wrists!  I have had so many people asking me if my watch is Michael Kors, and although it breaks my heart to tell them that it isn't, they are amazed by how similar they are and the dramatic price difference!

Next time you are in your local next store, have a little look and see if you can find it, I definitely recommend it!  I would hurry though, I'm not sure its going to be around for long!

Emily xx