Blogging and Beauty | Q&A - July 2015

I am constantly spouting out information about stuff that I want to talk about, but I don't often give you what you want to hear so I thought I would give you a Q&A so I can tell you what you actually want to know and not what I think you might like to know! I've had questions from Twitter and Facebook as well as a few blog comments so if you have any questions, be sure to let me know to be featured in the next one! If i get enough questions, I hope to do them every month!

What are your top 5 products? - Charleigh - www.theglossytruth.blogspot.co.uk
That is such a hard question! I love so many things I think it would be really hard to pick 5, but I am going to try.  I think I would go with the Rimmel 25 hour Foundation, the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, theBalm Mary LouManizer and MAC Peach Blossom.

What inspired you to start blogging? - Sanya Majid - www.desire4beauty.wordpress.com
Well, I was obsessed with Makeup and Beauty and felt that I needed an outlet.  I was always the friend that everybody came to if they needed any help with anything beauty related and people always asked my opinions on products before buying them so I thought I might as well have somewhere where I can talk about all things beauty for everyones enjoyment and hopefully it would be useful to some people. I love to be able to help so this was the easiest way for me to do that. YouTube was obviously my first consideration but the whole concept of that scared me a bit, I feel like you are judged so much more on there as it is so much more public and your face is out there for every body to see. I feel like being sat behind a computer and typing is a lot easier and even though you have seen photos of me, you never truly know the person behind the blog which makes it harder to judge and push negativity towards them which made me feel a lot more comfortable.  As I have previously mentioned, I may delve into the world of YouTube at some point but at the moment I am quite content with my blog.

What blogs do you love? - Jenny Ross - www.borntoblend.blogspot.co.uk
I love a lot of the big bloggers, like RosyChicc, TheSundayGirl, Tanya Burr, Zoella and all that jazz.  I mostly tend to read the smaller bloggers though, like MonochromeDaisies, ThePerksofMeg, emilysbeautythoughts and theglossytruth.

What motivates you daily? - Jenny
I honestly don't know! I am finding it quite hard to be motivated at the moment, I'm going through a rather strange stage at the moment. I either feel miserable or feel nothing at all which really isn't like me so I'm not really sure what's going on, but I just feel like I have no energy to do anything which makes motivation quite difficult.  The only thing that I really do is think of all the things I have to look forward to and that usually gives me a bit of a kick up the backside to get up and do stuff but apart from that this is an area in which I could probably do with some help in!

What do you love the most about blogging? - again from Jenny
There are so many things I love about blogging! I love making new friends and collaborating with other bloggers, as well as getting good feedback on my hard work. I love reading through your comments and it really makes my day when I read the amazing feedback you give me! It really makes the hard work and stress worthwhile and reminds me why I'm doing this. Also, the most obvious thing would be being able to talk about makeup as much as possible, I could go on all day and when I get into writing a blogpost, I get really into talking about products I love and just get lost in writing which is an amazing feeling as weird as it sounds.

That is it for this month's Q&A, I will be back same time again next month with questions so make sure you tweet me or leave me a comment with them so you can be featured next month!

Emily xx

Monochrome Party Look | Ed Sheeran Tribute Night Outfit

I haven't really done any outfit posts on here before so this is a first!  As mentioned in my Sunday Edit, I went to see an Ed Sheeran Tribute on Saturday night, and seeing as I was ready really early I thought I would get a few decent outfit shots to show you, to change up the content on my blog a little bit!

My dress is from new look, it is quite a thick black material which makes it good for all year round, and it has a little white collar which I love because I have a little obsession with collars! My shoes are from Next which I got in the sale for half price which worked out only £18! They still have them here so I would hurry and get them before they are gone! They are black platforms with lace/mesh detailing on the front and a fairly high heel. They are surprisingly comfortable for shoes so high and I don't think I complained about them once and I wore them for a good 6 hours and did a fair bit of walking! My bag is from Primark and is just a black and white small bag that can double up as a fairly large clutch bag. It is the perfect size to fit in all my essentials and went perfectly with my dress! Lastly for accessories, I have my Michael Kors watch on. My nails were Passion fruit from Barry M which will be looked at in further detail in an upcoming post!

I hope you enjoyed something a little bit different, let me know if you would like to see more of this type of post!

Emily xx

The Sunday Edit #61

Sneak peek of tomorrow's post!

I'm quite shattered after the week I've had, I don't think I've stopped all week which I'm glad of! I have been working at Summer School all week, we have been all over the place doing so many different things.  On Monday we did team building activities, on Tuesday we went down to the harbour for sailing, canoeing and a treasure hunt, on Wednesday we went to a place called Barton Camp where we went hiking up a hill, got drenched in the pouring rain and then went swimming! On Thursday I had the day off and went out for lunch with my nan and her friends and tried to get a few blogposts written up, then Friday we were back at school again and the children made presentations about their week and cooked their own pizzas for lunch! All of this running around has really worn me out so having a fairly restful weekend was much needed.

Yesterday I had a wander round the shops and ended up buying quite a few things which you will see in an upcoming haul, and then we went to see an Ed Sheeran tribute which was amazing! I will post a picture on twitter and Instagram soon, but he was so much like the real thing! I'm putting together my very first outfit post from last night which will be up tomorrow, I'm not entirely sure how it will go as I haven't done one of these posts before but we shall see!  Today has been pretty rubbish really but fairly productive.  I washed all of my makeup brushes, cleared out my handbag, tidied my room and I am currently writing up some blogposts before starting to do a little more work on my college projects that I have to have completed by the 20th August which really isn't that far away so I want them done and out of the way before I go on holiday.

I was so pleased to see that Friday's post went down so well! I haven't really done any tutorials before  so I was really chuffed to see that so many of you loved it! I had a request for more of that sort of thing, and Emily Morgan from emilysbeautythoughts.blogspot.com (check her out, she's awesome) suggested some celebrity looks, so if you have any particular celebrated or looks you would like me to do, then tweet me or tag me in Instagram pics! I also have part of a Q&A written up in my drafts, however I don't feel as though I have enough questions in it to publish.  If you have questions that you would like me to answer on absolutely anything, leave them in the comments and tweet me and I will give your blog or social media a mention as a thank you for participating!

I think that is all I have to say for today, let me know what you have been up to this week and if you have nay plans for the summer holiday!

Emily xx

Elsa Frozen Inspired Makeup | Tutorial

I don't very often do tutorials around these parts because I don't feel like I have the skills to be telling people how to do things, it's just not in my nature really.  However, when I posted this picture on all of my social media platforms when I was just playing around with makeup, I had a lot of people asking how I did it so I thought I would share with you the products I used to get this.

To start off, I primed my eyes with concealer. I did my eyes first as I was going to be using dark and sparkly eyeshadows that could potentially give me a lot of fall out that would ruin my base if I had done that first.  I then went in with the shade 'Limit' from my Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette as a transition shade through my crease to make the blending process a lot easier.  I then used my Makeup Revolution 100 Eyeshadow Palette and took a matte hot pink (you could use blusher for this) and run it through the crease, blending as you go.  I built that colour up until it was as intense as I wanted it.  I then went in with a deep shimmery purple and packed that all over the lid, and then carried on building up the pink in the crease to blend the colours together.  I then packed on a frosty white in the inner corner, and then added some glitter eyeliner on top of that just for a little twist.  I then applied my essence long lasting liquid liner with quite a dramatic wing to lift my eyes and mimic Elsa's unique eyeshape.  I then applied the purple along my lower lash line and blended slightly with the shade 'Limit' from the Naked 3.  I then applied Benefit Roller Lash and some lashes from Home Bargains. The Ardell Demi Wispies would also look amazing with this look, something natural and fluttery is ideal.

Onto the face, I primed with the Benefit Porefessional to create a smooth canvas and then went in with the palest foundation I own which is the Nars Sheer Glow in the shade 'Siberia'.  Whilst this is not one of my favourites, it worked just fine for this look. I then took my Collection Lasting Perfection concealer under my eyes and on anything else I wanted to cover to create a really flawless look.  I then set that with my Essence All About Matte powder to create that matte porcelain look that Elsa appears to be sporting.  I didn't contour or bronze for this look as warming up the skin doesn't really fit with this whole look, I wanted it to be as cool and icy as possible to resemble Elsa's look.  I just used blush and highlight, and for this I chose a light pink from the Makeup Revolution Ultra Blush Palette in 'Hot Spice' and Mac Soft and Gentle.

Lastly for lips, I used the Essence Lipliner in the shade Honey Berry topped with the Nars Lipgloss in the shade Priscilla to create that hot pink lip that she has on throughout the film.

That concludes this little tutorial, it really is a simple look to do and it looks so good! It is perfect for fancy dress parties or you can chop and change this to create a beautiful purple and pink evening look! I hope you found this helpful and if you choose to recreate this look, be sure to send my photos so I can share them and give you a shoutout on all of my social media!

Emily xx

Top 5 Drugstore Bright Lips

Left to right: Pink Punch, In Love With Ginger, Coral Calling, Audacious, Light It Up

The thing I look forward to most about summer is wearing bright lips! I feel that it is the only time of year where a bright pink or orange lip is appropriate so they are the first thing I crack out when the warmer weather starts creeping in. I have a range of formulas and shades to share with you today, it was very hard but I managed to narrow down my top 5 bright lips that are on the affordable part of the spectrum so they are easily accessible for all of you!

The first is probably my oldest favourite, I feel like I have had this lipstick sitting in my collection since I started my makeup obsession about 2/3 years ago! The Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Pink Punch which is now called Fuchsia Flash is exactly what its names suggest.  It is a hot, blue toned pink that suits pretty much all skin tones and makes your teeth look pearly white! The formula is quite smooth and buttery but I've found it to be surprisingly long lasting! This has been on my lips a lot over the past few weeks and I would definitely recommend.

Next is a blogger favourite that I won a while back in a giveaway, and its the Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in the shade 'In Love With Ginger'.  This is a bright orange red that is certainly not for the faint hearted! It is one of the brightest lipsticks I own, or possibly even laid eyes on (I've seen some shockers in my time and this still tops them).  The formula is very glossy and slightly slippy so you have to be very aware that you're wearing it to avoid embarrassing smudges! It doesn't fade patchily though, it fades to a stain within a few hours which is still pretty vibrant which I love.  Definitely a good one if you love orangey tones and want something that really makes a statement. It's also good if you wear a lot of red and want to move out of the 'red zone', just taking that relationship to a new level you feel me.

Something a little more subtle is the Essence Long Lasting Lipstick in 'Coral Calling'.  You've heard me bang on about these lipsticks a lot so I won't go on too much, but this shade is really stunning! It is your typical coral, it again looks good on pretty much all skin tones and it is slightly muted so it doesn't look too much.  It is the perfect way to spice up your makeup if you're not used to brights without going completely overboard.  If you want to know more about the formula of these, I have a whole post on these lipsticks right here where I sing their praises. I think this is the cheapest lipstick I have in this post and probably in my collection besides MUA and Makeup Revolution things.

The next one is definitely something that I would class as a neon. The Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm in the shade 'audacious'. It is a neon coral shade, though leaning more towards orange.  It is perfect for bringing out any tan, even if it is only slight! It really perks up your complexion and generally just makes your day a whole lot better! It is matte which means it lasts a long time and it feels like velvet to apply.  It's a balm so it also keeps your lips hydrated to there is no risk of dry patches and flakiness, it is all round a pretty perfect formula.  These are also on 2 for £10 in boots at the moment so grab a few!

The last is a classic red, which is a slightly lighter shade than I would normally go for so it's perfect for summer.  As you know, I''m a fan of my deep reds so the Maybelline Color Drama Velvet Lip Pencil in the shade 'Light it Up' is not what I would normally go for. It's a bright red that compliments any neutral makeup look perfectly and also helps to perk up an otherwise quite boring outfit. The formula is very creamy and dries matte without drying out the lips.  It lasts a good 6 hours before touchups are needed, but unfortunately it does fade to leave a line round your lips so that may be something to take into account.  Apart from that, it really is the perfect red and they have some other beautiful shades in this range to try.

That is all for my top 5 drugstore bright lips, what are your favourites? whether they be high end or drugstore!

Emily xx

The Sunday Edit #60

I have finally fixed my laptop at long last! (hopefully anyway).  It kept turning itself off and just being generally annoying which has stopped me from writing blogposts for a while!

This week was my last week working at school with all of the teachers before starting the summer school tomorrow with only a few.  Having to say goodbye to everyone again was really sad and is something that I absolutely hate doing!  One of the maths teachers that I had helped out the most bought me the sunflowers that are in the picture which I think was really sweet and they really seem to have livened up my room a bit and are sitting pretty on my dressing table!

As you may have seen on twitter, that I won another giveaway this week! I'm sure many of you read Carissa's blog, Vanilla Crush and will have seen her YSL lipstick set which consists of 3 beautiful summary shades! I can't wait for them to arrive so that I can try them out and write a blogpost on them for you!

I have a question for all of you iMac owners out there.  Are they worth the money? I have been looking into it recently and I'm just not sure whether I want to part with that much cash. The reason being I find I am more inclined to get stuff done if I am sat in a desk at a computer in work mode rather than sat on my laptop in bed or on the sofa where I just tend to procrastinate and snuggle up and watch netflix. I was thinking that it may encourage me to get college work and blogposts done quickly and efficiently so that I keep on top of my workload and feel more motivated to work.  I'm just not sure because they really are an obscene amount of money! I was also thinking about just getting a monitor that I can plug my macbook pro into because I'm told that my macbook pro is better than some of the cheaper iMac's and would be a waste of money so I was just wondering if any of you people that know about the technical stuff would have any advice for me!

I think that is just about it for today, I hope you have all had a lovely week!

Emily xx

The Seven Deadly Sins of Beauty | TAG

I was tagged to do this by Charleigh from theglossytruth.blogspot.co.uk so I thought I would do it today as I haven't done a tag in a while!

G R E E D : What is your inexpensive beauty item? What is your most expensive?
I think my most inexpensive is one of my Barbara Daly eyeshadows that I got for 50p in the sale in Tesco! I think my most expensive is probably my Naked 3 Palette which was £37, but if perfumes count in this section then it would be my Lancôme La Vie Est Belle perfume which I think was around £45.

W R A T H : What beauty products do you have a love/hate relationship with? What product has been the hardest to get?
There are many products that I have a love/hate relationship with but the one that stands out to me is cream/liquid highlight.  Sometimes I love it, sometimes it just looks pants and leaves patches in my foundation. I also found the Loreal Infallible 24 hour Matte Foundation hard to get, everybody seems to love it but I just can't seem to get it to work for me.

G L U T T O N Y : What are your most delicious beauty products? 

Definitely my Mac lipsticks, they just smell and taste amazing!

S L O T H : What beauty products do you neglect due to laziness?
I usually neglect cream bronzer and moisturiser! I find it so much easier to just use a powder bronzer, and moisturiser just takes way too much time! Applying it and then waiting for it to sink in is just an extra step that I don't have time for and can't be bothered to make time for if I am quite honest!

P R I D E : What beauty product gives you the most self confidence? 
I would probably say highlighter because that glow just makes me look healthier and just better so it makes me feel a lot better about the way I look.

L U S T : What products are you currently lusting over?

There are so many products that I want at the moment, but I think some zoeva brushes and one of the new mac eyeshadow palettes are definitely on my list!

E N V Y : What items would you most like to receive as a gift?
I would love to receive some expensive luxury products, like Chanel Lipsticks, some Nars Eyeshadows and some of the new Makeup Forever products when they launch in Debenhams very soon!

That is it for this TAG, thank you to Charleigh for tagging  me and I tag you all to do this! Leave me your links in the comments once you have done it! 

Emily xx

The Sunday Edit #59

It looks like I'll be apologising again today as I have had technical difficulties this week and have been unable to post so I am currently writing this on my phone which is a pain in the bum! My laptop has had a bit of a nervous breakdown so hopefully I will be able to sort that out today so that I can get some posts ready to put up this week!

I've been in school all week helping out in lessons and doing some marking to stop me from going mad whilst I'm stuck at home! I've been on a bit of a downer after leaving and prom so I thought this might make me feel a bit better.  Though I've enjoyed it, it's definitely put me off teaching for life and I've definitely realised that it isn't for me! I definitely think I shall be pursuing my original plan of going into law. I will be back in next week for the last week of term and then I am in for 2 weeks in the holidays to work for the summer school for the year 6's which I am getting paid for! Lots of new clothes and makeup are on the horizon.

I'm just having a pretty chilled weekend, trying to fix my laptop and write up a few blogposts, watching a few films and catching up on youtube videos! Nothing exciting, but a much needed and well earned rest!

I hope you have all had a lovely week!

Emily xx

June Favourites 2015

 

So yet another month has passed, and it has been jam packed as you will know if you are regular readers of my blog! There aren't actually that many things I have been loving this month to be honest so I have a rather small round up for you today!

The first things are from essence which I may have talked about in a recent haul. I have tried a few things from essence now and I have really enjoyed all of the products that I have tried out! The Essence All About Matt Fixing Powder is not something that I thought would sit well with me. It is a lot better than I expected and actually beats my Rimmel Stay Matte.  It sets my makeup perfectly and controls oil all day long, whilst also blurring out pores and imperfections and adding an almost airbrushed finish to my base.  I don't find that it's cakey or adds to much of a white cast to my face either so this one is definitely a winner.  I've also been really enjoying using the Essence Liquid Ink Eyeliner! I didn't think I'd find another eyeliner quite as good as the soap and glory supercar until this came along! The pigmentation is phenomenal, the staying power is pretty impressive, it dries quickly and it is very easy to apply without a streak in sight! Amazing value for money!

Next is a very new favourite for me as I have only owned this product for about 2 weeks but I couldn't not mention it.  I was pleasantly surprised by the Barry M Flawless Light Reflecting Concealer when I randomly picked it up whilst perusing the aisles of boots.   It is fantastic for brightening the under eye ares whilst bringing a slight glow to the area.  It blends seamlessly and has quite a thin liquidy consistency so it doesnt cake up or crease under the eyes which has always been an issue for me.

Next is an old favourite of mine which is the Maybelline Color Tattoo in the shade 'on and on bronze'.  This is so perfect for just quickly throwing on and blending out for an effortless look if you are in a rush and it is a very convenient little product. The colour is stunning and pretty much budge-proof which makes it perfect for the summer days.

The last makeup item is the Collection Supersize Fat Lash Mascara.  I've been using it layered with roller lash to create extra dramatic lashes and it works so well! It adds the perfect amount of length and volume without being clumpy or spidery which is something that I always look for in a mascara. It also works well alone ad seems to hold a curl pretty well which makes it an absolute bargain for £2.99.

Lastly, I want to mention the Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan Mousse which strangely isn't pictured above. It has been my go to tan this month and I have been using it on a weekly basis.  It provides a streak-free, non-orange tan that lasts about a week! It is seriously amazing stuff, I love how natural and glowy it makes me look as well as developing very quickly! Another bonus is that it doesnt smell like potatoes which is one of my main issues with fake tans! I may do a full review on this product if you are interested in it at a later date.

So that wraps up this months favourites, let me know what you have been loving this month ad give me some recommendations!

Emily xx

The Sunday Edit #58

I wil firstly start off by apologising for what a horrible blogger I have been the past week and the lack of posts! I have been in school all week helping out with year 6 transition week which has been pretty hectic and I have had no time to sit and write a post!

This week has actually been amazing! Since everything with school finished, I have been on a bit of a downer and just havent really felt myself which is why I have found it so hard to get back into blogging because I just don't feel right.  I'm not sure why, maybe its just me adjusting to my new situation or what have you.  This week has really perked me up a bit! The year 6's I have been working with this week have been so amazing, they are some of the sweetest children I have ever met and their attitude towards their school work and their future in general is just astounding. Three girls in particular have been so lovely, I literally want to adopt them! One of them said I was pretty and I think I almost cried, they are the cutest little things I have ever had the fortune meeting! I've also been able to catch up with some of my favourite teachers on a lunch time which has been so lovely, I didn't realise how much I had missed them! I am back in again this week helping out with some maths bits so that should be enough to keep me occupied and make me feel a little better.

I can't think of anything else I have to say at the moment, its late and I'm having a sort of mind blank! Anyway, I hope you continue to enjoy this weather and that you have had a lovely week!

Emily xx