Tag You're It! Blogger Tag

This is a very long awaited post, I was tagged by a lovely girl who also goes by the name of Emily from floraalemily back in August and I just haven't got around to doing it! So finally here it is, I hope you enjoy getting to know more about me and my blogging journey.

How did you get into Blogging?

I had been watching makeup videos on YouTube for months and I knew the blogging community was something I wanted to get into. I discovered the bloglovin' app and started following all of my favourite people, and started getting into reading blogs. Within a week or so, I had my own blog up and running and the rest is History!

What advice would you give to Beginner Bloggers?

Well I suppose I am still a beginner really, but my biggest piece of advice is to work hard. You have to be dedicated and passionate about your blog which has to be reflected in your blog in order to gain loyal readers and to build it. Spend time finding your niche and working out what you want your blog to be, and make sure you build a blog on a topic or topics that you are truly interested in and inspired by.

What would be your dream campaign?

I would love to work with a brand on a product or maybe a range of products that are just my own. The ultimate dream would be to create my own makeup line, but I would love to work with a smaller, company who are underrated and whose products I know and trust. I love to support all kinds of brands, especially the small ones who are dark horses in the industry.

Do you have a plan for your blog?

Not particularly I'm just kind of going with the flow. Obviously I'd like it to continue growing but I don't really mind which way it goes. I'd like to redesign my blog and possibly rebrand at some point with my own domain, but I wouldn't have the first clue in how to do that so I suppose things will stay relatively similar for a while.

I tag all of you to do this if you are a fellow blogger and leave me your links! I've lost track of who has or hasn't done this!

Emily xx

The Sunday Edit #79

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas! I had a really lovely christmas, I enjoyed having a bit of a break with no college work and just enjoying some time to relax. You'll hopefully be glad to know that I got a new camera for christmas, the nikon L340 which means I can actually take blog photos now which means I can finally start posting regularly again! I have had so many people unfollow me since I haven't been posting and I feel as though I have lost many of my readers so I'm taking the new year as an opportunity to start again, and rebuild my blog all over again! I'd like to thank all of you who don't mind me not posting once in a while and have stuck with me through this very busy and difficult time.

I am taking the new year as a fresh start. I have been seriously slacking with any kind of work for the last part of 2015 and I just feel demotivated and miserable all the time and I'm utterly fed up of feeling so down and negative. I wake up every morning feeling tired and miserable and I can't be bothered to do anything so I feel as though it is time for a change. I need to start being more organised and keep on top of work so that I feel more motivated and in control. At the moment I feel as though I am being swamped with work which is constantly weighing on me and bringing me down, and I feel as though I've completely lost control of everything. I am going to get myself a new, fun planner so that I can know exactly what I'm doing and when I'm doing it so I can keep on top of everything and feel motivated. I also feel as though my diet could be better, I seem to find myself just eating junk and making myself feel sluggish which really isn't helping me at all. Overall, I want to become more happy, positive, healthy and motivated in the new year. Any advice would be much appreciated, as well as recommendations for fun and useful planners!

If you have any ideas for posts that you would like to see in the near future, then I'd love to know so I can give you content that you would be interested in. Also, let me know what you did for christmas and what Santa brought you; I'm extremely nosey and I'm dying to know!

Thank you for all of your support, and I wish you all a very happy and healthy new year!

Emily xx

Classic Christmas Day Makeup

Merry Chrismas Eve! You may have seen this photo on my Instagram earlier this morning and lots of people seemed to like it so I thought I would write a post on how I did it and which products I used for anybody who is still struggling with ideas for their makeup for tomorrow. This is quite a dramatic look with the glitter, cut crease, lashes and a bold lip but it can be chopped and changed to tone it down to suit your preferences. It is primarily drugstore with just a few high end bits thrown in which really aren't absolutely necessary for this look, but they're my absolute favourite products!

E Y E S

I did my eyes first just in case there was fall out and I ruined my foundation. I firstly started with Makeup Geek Peach Smoothie on a Sigma E40 in my upper crease to ensure that everything blends seamlessly and it also roughly maps out where I'm going to put the cut crease. I then went in with Makeup Geek Creme Brûlée right in the crease with a Sigma E35 to build up the definition. I built this up a fair amount before going in with Makeup Geek Cocoa Bear on a Sigma E30 pencil brush right into the crease and winging it out slightly on the end and keep building until the line is as sharp as you want it to be. I then went in with a Sigma E25 Blending brush and blended upwards so it faded out gradually. I then darkened up the outer portion more with a mix of 'Triple Fudge' and 'Semi-Sweet' from the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette. Then I took the Elf Long-Lasting Lustrous Eyeshadow in Toast all over the lid, being sure to only focus on the lid and not going into the crease. I then softened the edges a tiny bit to make everything look more polished before going in with the Collection Glam Crystals Dazzling Eyeliner in Funk all over the Elf Shadow. Be sure to keep your eyes shut for a while after applying this until it dries, otherwise it'll transfer up into the crease. I then created a fairly dramatic wing with my holy grail liquid liner which is Rimmel Glameyes Liquid Eyeliner. I also then smoked out some cocoa bear on my lower lash line and applied some black kohl liner. To finish the eyes, I applied the L'oreal Telescopic Mascara and stuck on some Ardell Demi Wispies.

F A C E

Firstly, I primed with Benefit Porefessional and then went in with my current favourite foundation which is Nars Sheer Glow which I've got in the shade 'Siberia' and I buffed that in with the Real Techniques Buffing Brush. I then used my new favourite concealer which is the NYX HD Concealer under my eyes, down the bridge of my nose, on my cupids bow and the centre of my chin. I then baked my concealer with the Collection Sheer Loose Powder and set the rest of my face with the Rommel Stay Matte. For contouring, I used the darkest shade in the Barry M Contour Kit and then added a flush to the cheeks with the Sleek Blush in Rose Gold. To finish off the face, I used quite a generous amount of my all time favourite highlighter, theBalm Mary Lou Manizer on my cheeks, down my nose, on my cupids bow, in the centre of my chin and in the inner corners of my eyes.

L I P S

Last for my lips, I went for a bright red! I lined my lips with the Illamaqua lip pencil in Strumpet and then used the Maybelline Color Drama Velvet lip pencil in Light it Up. Alternatively, you could use a nude if you don't want to look too overdone, or you could wear any lipstick so that you could wear this look all year round! I think this would look amazing with a dark purple lip for New Years Eve too if you wanted to take inspiration from it!

I hope this was useful for those of you who needed inspiration, and if you recreate this look then do send me a photo, all of my social media is linked in the tab at the top of my blog. I will be doing a different look tomorrow which is also suited to New Years Eve so I will post about that next week! Wishing you all a Merry Christmas, I hope you have a lovely day with friends and family and get everything you want! Let me know what your plans are, I'd love to know what you're all getting up to!

Emily xx

Makeup Geek Haul

Peach Smoothie, Creme Brûlée, Cocoa Bear, Cosmopolitan and Prom Night

I have been waiting for soooooo long to get my hands on some Makeup Geek Shadows! Last month, Makeup Geek finally launched on Beauty Bay and they all sold out before I had a chance to get my hands on them! After a few weeks of patiently waiting and constant checking, they finally came back in stock so I ordered them straight away.  The first thing I ordered was a Large Hot Pink Z-Palette to keep them in. This a fairly good sized palette and it feels pretty sturdy so it would be good for travelling. The fact that this is so big is slightly dangerous for my bank account, I have so much space that I am dying to fill!

The first shade I picked up was the shade 'Peach Smoothie' which is probably one of the most hyped up shade and is considered a staple for may makeup artists who've used this. It's such a unique colour, I'd describe it as a matte peachy flesh toned eyeshadow. I use this as a transition shade for almost every eye look and it helps my eyeshadows to look seamlessly blended and adds a slight warmth to the look. I would definitely consider this a must-have shade as I use it with every single eyeshadow look I do, whether it be very minimal or very dramatic.

The next shade I got was 'Creme Brûlée' which is a matte mid-toned brown. It is perfect for adding subtle depth to the crease but can also be built up to create quite a defined look. I also think this would be a good shade for contouring the face also, as it isn't too warm and is the perfect shade to add depth to pale skin without looking too much. I also use this shade with a lot of looks, its perfect for using with any eye look, especially as a transition shade and for mapping out the crease if I'm going dark and dramatic.

The next one I opted for was 'Cocoa Bear' which is also a very popular shade amongst those who have tried Makeup Geek eyeshadows. It is a beautiful warm brown, it is quite red/orange when blended out and works perfectly with warm eye looks that incorporate golds and coppers. I really love doing an all matte warm eye with this, and it looks beautiful smoked out on my lower lash line. Another must-have shade!

Onto shimmers, the first one that I chose was 'Cosmopolitan'. This is a very unique melon shade with hints of copper with golden duo chrome, and it is unlike anything that I own or have ever seen before! This paired with the three matte shades is the perfect eye for all year round. It looks beautiful paired with a coral or nude lip in the Spring and Summer and also looks amazing paired with a dark brown or burgundy in the Autumn and Winter. It is a very beautiful shade that I think would suit almost all skin tones.

Lastly, I chose 'Prom Night' which is completely different to anything I own. Some people have compared it to 'Satin Taupe' by Mac which I don't know, but it gives you some idea of the shade if you're familiar with Mac eyeshadows. It's a cool toned taupe with a hint of purple and silver, it's very unique and I'm struggling to accurately describe it! It can be used just blended on the lid alone for a subtle day time look or can be used with dark greys and blacks to create a beautiful taupe smokey eye. I think I may do a New Years Eve Look with that shade, hopefully I can make a blogpost on it for you!

Overall, the formula of these are just stunning! I'd choose them over all of my high end shadows any day, the matte ones are so buttery and pigmented and just blend like a dream. I don't get any patchiness at all, and very little product is required to achieve the perfect intensity of colour.  The shimmers/duochromes are also very pigmented and almost look glossy and wet on the eyes, they're just stunning! I don't find that I get any fall out either so I am extremely impressed with these.

You can purchase all of these from BeautyBay.com (linked throughout the post) each retailing for £4.95 and the Z-palette is priced at £15.95. If you have any Makeup Geek eyeshadows, then let me know your favourites so I can add them to my list!

Emily xx

The Sunday Edit #78

A sneak peek of exciting things to come!

I know I promised you I'd be back this week, but I have actually been a lot busier than anticipated and I haven't had any spare time to myself to write a blogpost! I've been jam packed with work this week, preparing for the christmas holidays and getting ready for mocks in January which has occupied all of my time. I also had my first driving lesson yesterday which took up a lot of time and was very exciting! I think I did pretty well, I can pull away, change gear, creep out of junctions using something called clutch control and I'm good with pulling into junctions! I thought I did really well for a first attempt and I have booked my second lesson for next Saturday which is really exciting! I'm finally getting on the road and gaining my independence which is really exciting for me and gives me something to look forward to.

I am so excited for christmas, I have written all of my cards and I only have a few presents left to get which is amazing. Christmas is my absolute favourite time of year and I am really enjoying the festive season at the moment. I finish college on Thursday so I will most definitely be able to blog alot after then as I will be at home so much more. I want to get as much work done as I can before christmas eve so I can have a few days off over christmas and then go back to work between boxing day and new year. Having mock exams in the first week back in January isn't really the best timing, as I will be constantly working through the christmas holidays which is a bit annoying but I suppose it can't be helped. I really want to do well in these so I am going to have to work very hard!

I hope you have all had a lovely week and are enjoying the festive season! Let me know your plans for christmas, I'd love to know what you all get up to!

Emily xx

The Sunday Edit #77 - I am definitely back this time!

Well I haven't been on here for a very long time! As you know, I haven't had a camera for a very long time which has prevented me from taking any photos to write any posts. I've also had a very busy and stressful month which has meant I have had no time or motivation to write blogposts on top of everything else I have been trying to deal with!

Since I have been away, so much has happened! We went away for the weekend to the New Forest last weekend with the whole family which was lovely (I may write a separate post with all of the photos in). I also turned 17 on Wednesday which was very exciting! I finally got my provisional licence and I am currently in the process of booking some driving lessons so I can finally buy my fiat 500 and get on the road! I am so excited about driving, it has given me something to look forward to amongst all of my stress and worry. I'm also feeling very festive which is really exciting, and the excitement of christmas has perked me up a bit!

I have managed to borrow my dad's camera, which is a DSLR and I am finding it very confusing! I am managing to get the hang of it as you'll see in this weeks posts which are very exciting ones. Some of the photos are a bit dodgy but I am trying to get used to an entire new way of photographing things, so it will take me a while to get used to the camera and suss out all the tips and tricks on getting the best photos. Plus with winter, by the time I get home from college it is pitch black and its always miserable weather so it is really difficult to find a time where there is decent lighting to take some photos. Hopefully I can get back into posting Wednesday, Friday and Sunday like I used to, I've missed blogging and I am so pleased to be back!

I hope you all had a lovely end to November and a fabulous beginning to December!

Emily xx