New In October | B E A U T Y

I wanted to do a monthly favourites but to be fair, I have bought so many things in the past month or so I haven't really had chance to give them all a good go and be able to pick out favourites. I thought it would be much more fitting to give you a brief little review on all of my new in bits and bobs and who knows, they may potentially end up in a favourites post in the future. Annoyingly, I don't have any swatches of the products mentioned however they are all linked so you can have a good look at them on the website.

Starting with makeup, the world and it's mother has been trying the new Revolution Conceal and Define Full Coverage Foundation. I have mine in the shade F6 which is a little light for me when I am fake tanned, it is a better shade for when my tan is almost worn off but not quite when I'm at my palest. This foundation isn't playing around, the coverage is intenseeeeee. I like the applicator, it makes it so easy to apply and also minimise waste. I find with foundations that need to be squeezed out onto my hand always seem to have a lot of wastage whereas with this you can apply the right amount straight away. It is basically like a giant version of the concealer, the formula is very similar and the applicator is almost identical. I would say that this foundation was not one for dry skin, I find it clings a little to any dry patches and it also dries quite matte. I would say it is ideal for oily skin as this foundation completely stays put. In conjunction with this foundation, I also have the Revolution Conceal and Define Supersize Concealer. This has been a firm favourite of mine for a long time and I have repurchased this about 4 times. I am so glad they finally have a giant one, I went through the small ones soon quickly so this is a god send.

Sticking with face, I have recently been obsessed with the Revolution X Imogenaion Highlight to the Moon Palette and I have been using the banana shade called 'My Gyal' to carve out my contour but I have hit pan and to my knowledge these shades aren't sold separately. I needed a replacement and thought I would give the Revolution Luxury Banana Baking Powder a whirl. I have only been using this for about a week but I do really like this. I find translucent powders are too light for under my contour, especially when I'm fake tanned which I am 99.9% of the time. The formula of this is really great, it glides on smoothly with my beauty blender and blends away like a dream. I don't find it looks cakey on the skin at all and if you have a yellow toned complexion you could definitely get away with it as an all-over face powder. If you are paler, Revolution do a few other loose powders that may be a bit better suited to you. Just a little fun fact, this product was actually shortlisted for the 2017 Pure Beauty Awards.

Another addition to my collection is the Doll Beauty Pretty Little Glow Highlight. When I went to London, I treated myself to the Doll Beauty Highlight in 'Like a Diamond' and I instantly fell in love with it. The formula is insane, the pigmentation is beyond words and the glow you get is just stunning. I thought I would try another one from their range and this particular one is exclusive to pretty little thing and is the perfect rose gold shade. I wouldn't recommend this if you are really pale but if you have a medium to dark skin tone then this would be beautiful on you. I can really only use this when I am fake tanned and it looks stunning on your collar bones and shoulders too. I also love this as a subtle blush topper as it has that pinky undertone. I can see doll beauty highlights becoming a holy grail product and I keep finding myself mooching through the website and making wish lists.

Onto eyes, I treated myself to the Peaches and Cream Loose Eyeshadow Pigment in 'Gatsby'. I haven't swatched this as I am currently creating a little look book using this pigment to show how stunning it is and the variety of ways that you can wear this. The formula of these are so beautiful, they're buttery soft and require just the tiniest amount of product to achieve the desired effect. My friend Charleigh who is a makeup artist has used this pigment on me so many times and she absolutely loves it so I had to have it in my collection too. Peaches and Cream are such an affordable brand and I used to have their lashes in my kit when I was freelancing, I would highly recommend any of their products and they are also now available on Pretty Little Thing. Next on my list to try is their glosses as Charleigh also swears by these.

I also got the P.Louise Base Shade 0.5 which is a firm favourite amongst so many people. I haven't really had the chance to have a proper play with this yet but I will keep you updated and let you know my verdict once I have given it a proper go.

Finally for makeup, I completely ran out of liquid eyeliner so I thought I would give the Revolution Renaissance Flick Eyeliner a go. I again haven't really had a chance to give this a proper go but I have played with it and I find it is so easy to use due to the shape of the pen and the thin and flexible nib. In regards to formulation, I can tell you it is jet black and dries down very matte but I haven't really had much of an opportunity to test the longevity and wear of it. Only time will tell but I have a good feeling about this product.

Lastly I have a little bit of skincare from Pixi Beauty. Pixi is a brand I have been dying to try for a while and when I was in London, I went into the shop on Carnaby Street. I bought a little set of minis for travelling and my skin seemed to really like the products. They then launched in Boots at the beginning of October and they had some introductory offers so I thought I would expand my little collection. I was running low on fix plus so I thought I would give the Makeup Fixing Mist a go. It is quite a strong mist so you have to be a bit careful it doesn't squirt everywhere and drench your face. I haven't paid much attention to the longevity of my makeup but I need to experiment with it a little bit more to be able to give you a final verdict. I also picked up the Glow Tonic which was in my little minis set and my skin seemed to love it so I thought I would try the full size. This is a cult favourite in the beauty community and it has definitely not disappointed me, my skin has never been so clear and radiant and the only thing I have changed in my routine is this! I would highly recommend this, and the links I have used in this post get you £5 off the Pixi website for if you fancy treating yourself. They have some lovely Christmas sets so you can treat someone special for a little bit less!

This post is very Revolution heavy as they have just been killing the makeup game recently but I can assure you there are no affiliate links or sponsors in this post.

What bits have you added to your collection this month? I need inspiration for my Christmas list!

Emily xx

Astrid & Miyu Piercing and Jewellery | F A S H I O N

If any of you follow me on Social Media, you will know that I was recently lucky enough to have a little trip to London and visit the most beautiful jewellery shop ever, Astrid and Miyu. Astrid and Miyu are a Jewellery company and their main store is situated in St Christopher's Place which is just off Oxford Street. They specialise in very classy and elegant jewellery which is right up my street and some of their piece are simply beautiful. As a plus, their prices are brilliant too with high quality and beautiful accessories starting from as little as £20.00. I had seen Lydia Elise Millen model some of their pieces and she spoke about her experience with their piercing station so I knew I had to go!

The shop is absolutely beautiful as you can see from the photos and they have a piercing station downstairs. They offer a wide variety of ear piercings and they also give you 20% off their earrings when you get pierced. I have included some of the little diagrams they have on their site which explains what types of piercings they do and what each one is known as. I had only intended to go there for a look and maybe buy some jewellery or pick out some pieces to put on my christmas list but I left with a new piercing and earrings and Meg also left with a piercing.

When we got there, Meg had decided she wanted her conch pierced. I obviously didn't want to be left out and decided I wanted a piercing too and after much deliberation I opted for my helix. I went first and I am a bit of a baby and threw up and fainted when I got my belly button pierced and I was pretty much expecting the same thing to happen again. We chose our earrings and went down to the very pretty piercing station which I didn't manage to get a photo of but you can see a snippet of it in Lydia's Vlog here. The lady who pierced me was so lovely and was so good at it, she really made me feel very comfortable and talked me through things as she was going so that I knew what to expect. She did the usual little dot and made sure I was happy with the positioning of it and then used a cannula needle to pierce it and it was all done and dusted in less than a minute. I'm not sure I have a very high pain threshold but I would definitely say that it hurt but it was definitely worth it and it was by no means unbearable. She then popped the little rose gold hoop in that I had chosen and then that was it! Of course afterwards I did feel a little bit funny and may or may not have thrown up (luckily made it to the toilet this time unlike when I had my belly button pierced many moons ago) but after that I was right as rain. The staff in there were absolutely amazing and we spent so long talking to them all in there. They were such lovely ladies and were so patient and helpful it made the whole experience even more amazing than it already was. Then it was Meg's turn and she opted for a little stud which is sooooo pretty. She was absolutely fine and felt no pain at all, as you can see she has plenty of ear piercings so it didn't bother her in the slightest.

Once I had pulled myself together and had a few fruit pastels that the lovely ladies went and got for me whilst I was there, it was time for photos and earring shopping. I had so much fun browsing around and picking pieces out, I could have easily spent a day in there trying and buying. After much deliberation I decided to go for the Venus Earrings in Rose Gold. I have worn them every day since and I am in love, they are so elegant and classy and just compliment my style perfectly. Of course I made sure to go with Rose gold so that they would match my new addition and I am now looking into getting some rose gold studs for when I want something small and simple. I literally want everything on the website their pieces are so beautiful. If you are in London at any point I would highly recommend going in for a browse or even just looking at their website if you are in the market for some new bling. I will keep you updated on the healing process but at the moment all seems to be going well, it's not painful at all and seems to be healing nicely despite the fact that I am lazy and don't clean it as often as I should (they recommend twice a day and it is now a week on and I have cleaned it twice lol).

Have you bought anything from this brand before? I would love to know your favourite pieces!

Emily xx



*DISCLAIMER*
This post includes affiliate links however all views and opinions are my own, and all photos are also taken and owned by me.

My Trip to the Spectrum Brushes Shop | L I F E

This has to be by far the most insta-worthy shop and café I have ever seen in my whole 19 year existence. I went to London a few weeks ago to see Britney at the O2 and stopped for a spot of shopping whilst  I was there. I had seen this shop a thousand times on Instagram and so this was first on my list of places I knew I needed to go.

I didn't buy too much when I was there, we sat and had the nicest latte with almond milk and admired the amazing café and watched some makeup tutorials on their big screen. We of course took plenty of pictures. There are some more on my Instagram and Chloe has some on hers too we just couldn't stop! Everything was so pretty and picturesque I just took photos of every angle. I did pick up a few brushes, I picked up the AO4 for contouring and the BO8 for highlighting as I have lost my Morphe M501 :(. Of course, I got them both in the marble and rose gold set.

When I got to the till, they said if you follow them on Instagram and/or tag them in an instastory you could pick a free brush. Obviously I follow them on Instagram and by that point we had been to the café so of course my instastory was filled already. I had a few small ones to choose from so I opted for the BO3 for concealer. I have used all 3 at this point and they did not disappoint. Spectrum brushes are so high quality and are also soooooo pretty. Their designs are amazing and their sets are perfection. I will be definitely buying plenty more and I will also be in London again this weekend so  of course will be taking another trip.

If you want to have a look at the Spectrum website, you can sign up here so you will get a nice little discount! Also, if you are a student they offer 15% off which is insane!

Let me know if you pick anything up, happy shopping! What are your favourite Spectrum Brushes?

Emily xx

My Every Day Makeup Routine

As someone who works full time and lives the 9-5 life, during the week you aren't likely to find me with a full beat face. I keep things minimal and simple throughout the week as not only is it not really appropriate to turn up to the office with a blue glitter cut crease but I'm not all about that 'getting up early' life so if wearing minimal makeup means I can sleep for longer then that's exactly what I'm going to do. Whilst this may seem like a lot of makeup for some people as an every day look, as someone who used to rock up to college with a full on smokey eye, this is very minimal for me!

I've been alternating between a few primers recently, whilst I am still dabbling with the Freedom Strobe Cream and the Freedom Priming Water, I tend to stick to my tried and true Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Instant Retouch Primer. I have found that the strobe cream makes me slightly oily throughout the day and I know I can rely on the Fenty Primer to keep my foundation intact for a long day at work.

For foundation I have been using the Rimmel London Lasting Finish Breathable Foundation. This foundation is quite nice, it's a medium coverage but it is build able, it blends nicely and has a nice dewy finish. To be perfectly honest I only use this foundation as I spend most of my life fake tanned and this is the only foundation that I own that matches my tan. The applicator is quite good as it is a huge doe-foot so you can apply the foundation easily with this and you don't have to get foundation all over your hands. I would imagine this is a little unhygienic but I do give it a wipe off every so often so hopefully it should be fine! I have just purchased the EX1 invisiwear foundation and the L'oreal stick foundation as well so I will give those a whirl and update you.

For concealer to brighten up my eye bags because I spend my life fully knackered, I have been obsessed with the Makeup Revolution Conceal & Define Concealer in the shade C3. This concealer has fully stolen my heart, it's everything I want in a concealer for £1 more than a Tesco Meal Deal. This concealer is full coverage, blends seamlessly and sets amazing without looking heavy or cakey. The shade range is also amazing, I believe there are 18 shades which for a drugstore brand is insane and you can also use the darker shades as a contour. I am fully hooked on this concealer and have just ordered more back ups and a few more shades to try contouring with them and also so I have some that match my various stages of tan. Would highly recommend this product, my only peeve is that the tube is quite small so they run out quickly!

To set my concealer I always use my tried and true RCMA No-Colour Powder which I have raved about numerous times before. I'm 99.9% sure this powder is going to last me a life time as I have used it religiously for about a year now and I still haven't even got half way through. This powder is really affordable too so I would highly recommend looking into this. Then, to set the rest of my face I use my trusty Rimmel Stay Matte which I think is the only powder I have used the entire time I have been blogging and I have hyped this up so much in the past it doesn't require any further explanation.

For cheeks I have been absolutely obsessed with the Becca Apres Ski Face Palette which my fabulous friend Meg bought me for my birthday. As you can see by the state that this palette is in, I have used it every single day since I got it and I will continue to use this until it is fully empty. Unfortunately this palette was limited edition, however my faves Bronzed Bondi and Opal are permanent so you can still purchase those. This was my favourite highlight ever up until about 3 days ago when I treated myself to a new beautiful thing which I will unveil to you very soon.

For eyes, I keep it really simple on an every day basis, I just set my lids with powder to stop them creasing and do a simple, relatively thin winged liner with the NYX Vinyl Liquid Liner which is sooooo easy to use it's amazing, the brush has a really long handle so you have good control over the brush and the brushes so thin so you can get a really thin line. The formula is amazing too, really pigmented and jet black and it's one of the very few eyeliners I've found that don't crumble or smudge throughout the day. I then put on a quick coat of mascara using the Collection Lash Surge Mascara in Waterproof Black which is an amazing mascara for the price. This mascara does not budge, it can survive an 8 hour day, numerous nervous breakdowns and also survived walking in a blizzard the other day and it does not budge in the slightest, no crumbling, no flaking, no smudging, NOTHING. It is a bit of a pain in the bum to get off, you have to keep that micellar water soaking on it for a while and then give it a good scrub but I don't mind because of how amazing the mascara is in every other aspect. It also gives amazing length and volume without clumping, it's a solid 10/10. I then throw on some Demi Wispies because I feel like a total egg without lashes, once you start wearing them your makeup will never look the same and it becomes an addiction.

For lips, I use the Mac Lip Pencil in Boldly Bare which is a very old favourite and I go over the top of that with the Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb which I'm pretty sure I've mentioned on here before. It is by far the best lipgloss I have ever used and the obsession is real.

I then give my face a quick spritz of the Glamglow Glowsetter Makeup Setting Spray. I haven't really formed a proper opinion on this product really, I just feel like it's your average setting spray and nothing too special but I will keep you updated.

That concludes my every day face, a very long and rambly post on something that literally takes me 10 minutes in the morning and is relatively simply. What are your every day makeup staples?

Emily xx

PS - the amazing makeup bag in the photo is from Coconut Lane - my discount code is littleem20 if you want to treat yourself and get 20% off!

September/October Favourites 🍂

I haven't written a blogpost in the longest time so in that time I have been trying out a whole load of different things and have accumulated quite a few firm favourites. As you'll know if you read my last post, I have recently started a new job so I now work full time as a Paralegal Apprentice so I am now earning quite a lot more than I used to which means I have more funds to treat myself to new things to try and feature on the blog.  I may do a post soon with a little life update and letting you know how I'm getting on in my new job if that's something you would be interested in.

The first favourite is not photographed but was used to take the photographs. At the end of August my iPhone 6S Plus conked out on me (luckily my contract was up so I could get a new phone at any time without it costing an arm and a leg) so I upgraded to the 7 Plus. Whilst I am a little miffed that I didn't wait a few more weeks until the 8 came out, I am still pretty chuffed with this one. The portrait mode is my favourite for taking up close shots with a blurred background and the photos all look so professional, and it's so handy being able to just take photos with my phone so I don't have to lug my huge camera around.

Onto makeup favourites, I have a few products I have been loving that the beauty community have completely lost their sh*t over. First of all we have the MorpheXJaclynHill Palette which is unfortunately out of stock at the minute (I normally tweet every time it comes back in stock so make sure you follow me on Twitter if you are wanting to get your hands on this). The colours as you can see are amazing, you have everything in this palette that you could possibly need and the formula is also out of this world as you would expect from Morphe. This is the only palette I have used since I got it as I can literally create any look with it, and I have also used it to travel as it has everything I could possibly need for whichever look I wanted to create. The packaging and presentation is stunning and the contents are amazing so I would definitely recommend this, and whilst it is a little pricier than your average Morphe palette retailing at £37, it is still an absolute steal for 35 eyeshadows. It works out to be £1.05 per eyeshadow which is insane considering your average Makeup Geek pan is around £6 and the Morphe quality is more than on par with Makeup Geek and you get it all in one sleek palette.

The next favourites seem to be everyones favourites at the minute and this range has taken the world by storm. The Fenty Beauty Foundation, Primer and Killawatt Freestyle Highlighting Duo in Lightning Dust and Fire Crystal have become staples in my makeup collection this month. I also have the Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer but I don't feel like I reach for this as much, purely because I work full time and walk for about 15 minutes to my office and with this weather, the hair in lipgloss thing is too much for me to handle so I opt for a more matte stress free lip during the winter months. However, I do really like the formula and the shade is perfect so I can see myself getting a lot more use out of this during the warmer months. The primer is unlike anything I've ever tried before, the texture feels like a rich moisturiser and it glides on to the skin, smoothing everything out and giving your skin a boost of hydration ready for foundation. I wouldn't say the primer was a must with the foundation as the foundation is amazing in itself and I had the foundation for a few weeks before I got the primer, but I would say the primer compliments the foundation beautifully and definitely helps with the finish and longevity of the foundation. I also think I would continue to use this primer with other foundations as it creates the perfect canvas for makeup to sit on top of. The foundation has been a real hit with everyone on the internet with the unique formula and extensive shade range. With 40 shades to choose from you're guaranteed to find your perfect match and the formula is unlike anything I've ever used before. I normally steer clear from matte foundations as I find they just look cakey and cling to all of my dry patches, but this one is completely different. The coverage is amazing and it blends and builds beautifully, and then it sets to an almost matte finish which I like to just give a dusting of powder to and it leaves my skin looking like porcelain but it still looks like skin. It is the most natural looking foundation I have ever tried and I am obsessed with it! Plus the packaging is very luxurious and minimalistic and for £26 I thought this was a bargain for a high-end foundation when you consider that Nars charge around the £35 mark. Lastly we have the highlight which is not served justice in the above photos.  The pigment is insane and it is such a perfect shade on my very pale complexion. One side is more of a natural glow which is more than noticeable but is more of a sheen and the other side is very sparkly and is pretty blinding on the skin. I like to use the more natural one where I would normally highlight and then I take the extra sparkly one just on the very very high points of my cheeks and the tip of my nose for a little bit of extra glow. The pigment is insane and the formula is amazing, very buttery and glides on to the skin and blends out nicely. I also don't feel like the sparkly one is too chunky or glittery either, it's the perfect full-on highlight. These retail at £26 which I think is a bargain for 2 highlights and I think I will be purchasing another shade for when I'm fake tanned too!

Next up we have the Superdrug Vitamin E Hydrating Mist. My friend Charleigh is a makeup artist (her work is amazing, check out her instagram here) and she had heard that this was a dupe of MAC Fix+ which as you probably know is a little on the pricey side. This was £2.99 so I decided it would be crazy not to give it a go, plus it was on buy one get a second half price so we got them for about £2.25 each. I like this way more than Fix+, it smells of coconuts which is amazing, it is ten times more hydrating on the skin and it leaves my makeup with the most beautiful dewy and flawless finish. I spray it before primer, after primer and then when I've finished my whole face and it's amazing and for £2.99 I can go crazy with it and use as much as I like whereas Fix+ is expensive so I have to be very careful with it so if you are a Fix+ kind of gal then give this little beauty a go.

Another recommendation from Charleigh that has become a firm staple in my makeup collection is the MAC 221 brush which is conveniently out of stock at the moment. Charleigh has 2 of these and I borrowed one whilst we were away together and I became quickly obsessed and used it religiously before I finally caved and bought my own. They are pretty pricey but I haven't been able to find another brush similar for a more affordable price, I am still on the hunt. It's such a universal brush, Charleigh will literally use it for an entire eye look because it's just the perfect size to get a really precise and defined crease and the fluffiness means it does all the blending work for you and is just a dream to use. I will update this post with a link when it is back in stock for anyone who is interested.

Lastly we have a product which I am in the process of writing a whole post on so I won't ramble on about them too much but the Bourjois Rouge Velvet the Lipstick's have been by far my most used lip products over the past few months. I was lucky enough to get sent the entire collection by Influenster in a VoxBox (I will tell you all about Influenster and how it works in my full review) so I have been putting them to the test over the past few months. The formula is unlike no other, they go on like a regular lipstick but dry like a liquid lipstick and don't budge. There are 12 shades in the range so there is plenty to suit everyone but my 3 favourite are 01 Hey Nude!, 10 Magni-Fig (the berry plum color) and 11 Berry Formidable (the deep red). I will do a swatch of every single shade in the collection in a post coming soon so keep your eyes peeled for that.

That is everything I have been loving over the past few months that I have been MIA. I have started to make more time to work on my blog as I have really been missing it so hopefully I will be able to post a little more regularly! Keep your eyes peeled for some more exciting content very soon!

Emily xx