The Sunday Edit #18

This week has been quite a good week, I feel proud of myself because I have worked really hard and I am ahead on all my school work and blogposts so I don't feel rushed to do anything! On wednesday it was open evening for new year 7's so I had a great opportunity to go and spend some time in the art room making sure I had got my project up together before I start on the next one.  I have now started collecting prospectuses for some colleges and I am due to be going to some open days within the next few weeks which is quite scary and not only do I have to try and find somewhere to go where I am happy, I have to try and figure out what courses I want to take which is quite stressful!

This weekend I have been at the caravan as per usual.  I have been re-watching series 4 of Downton Abbey before series 5 starts tonight which I literally can't wait for and I am watching a series 4 add-on as I type! We went out for a meal last night and watched a band in the local pub and today we have just lazed around.  I haven't been feeling brilliant today, I think I might have a cold coming so I have been watching Youtube videos, scrolling through bloglovin' and making a birthday list because it is my birthday in 72 days (I'm a bit sad).  I am trying to work out which products to put in my September favourites because I have just realised that it is coming to the end of the month! I have a few products in mind but although I bought a lot of new products to try last month, being back at school I haven't really been wearing much makeup and have been sticking to what I know I like.

I hope you have all had a lovely week and a lovely weekend and I will be back on Wednesday!

Emily xx

Ebay Makeup Brushes ❤

Brushes :- Ebay, £8.85

I am always up for a bargain so when I spotted these sigma-esque dupes on Ebay for only £8.85, I was all over them.  They had a huge range of different colours, but naturally I opted for pink.  In the picture on ebay, they come across as a very pale baby pink colour when actually they are more of a dark corally colour but that's besides the point, chances are if you're reading this post you are more likely interested in the quality rather than the shade of pink that they are.

The set comes with 5 face brushes and 5 smaller eye/face brushes.  They are very similar to sigma brushes and xo beauty and I think the quality is just as good.  All of these brushes blend both liquid and powder products beautifully without smearing or leaving a trail of bristles strewn across your face.  I have used the large ones for foundation and other cream products like highlighter and blush.  My favourites are the flat top one and the round top, I find these the easiest to use in order to get a flawless base.  The small ones work amazing for concealer, cream eyeshadows and blending.  I use the pointed one for pin point concealing, the fluffy round top for buffing concealer in under my eyes and the flat top for powdering under my eyes.  The other 2 I use for applying cream shadows and blending shadows.

I haven't washed them yet (slap on the wrist for me) so I can't comment on that but I think for the price, they are brilliant quality and I couldn't be without them now.  They come with a travel bag as well so they are easy to travel with, an all round good bargain!

Emily xx

A Weekend in the New Forest and a day in Downton Abbey!

I thought it was about time that there were a few more lifestyle posts around these parts, besides my Sunday Edits.  I figured it is a better way of you getting to know me and what I like to do rather than just what I think about beauty products!

As mentioned in my Sunday Edit, I spent the weekend in the New Forest for my Mum's birthday.  I have been going to the New Forest pretty much all my life and it is the perfect Autumn destination. It did feel a little odd running through the leaves in a dress and dolly shoes I must say! We went for a drive along the moors to see the wild ponies, got held up for about 15 minutes whilst about 50 cows strolled across the road and enjoyed the scenery.  It is so nice to stay in a log cabin and every day you can wake up and look out the window to see the leaves falling from the trees and squirrels running around.  I love squirrels so much, if you could keep squirrels as pets I think I would definitely be the crazy squirrel lady.

Another thing you should know about me, Downton Abbey is my guilty pleasure.  I am most definitely a 70 year old woman trapped in a 16 year old's body, I love nothing better to sit and drink tea whilst watching my Downton box set believe it or not!  Downton Abbey is filmed at Highclere Castle in West Berkshire and was only about 50 minutes away from where we were staying and me and my mum being massive Downton fans, we couldn't resist it.  It was such lovely day out, the grounds are so picturesque and the castle itself is just to die for.  I thoroughly enjoyed walking round the castle and it was so weird feeling like you were stood in Downton Abbey and walking through all the rooms that I have seen on TV about a million times before, it was very surreal!  We also had lunch sat outside looking up at the house and the weather was perfect for it as well.  Although it was very expensive, I do think it was worth it and I would definitely go again! Photography was not allowed in the castle which pleased me no end, but here are a few I managed to get of the outside and the grounds surrounding it:-

Let me know if you would like some more lifestyle posts similar to this one and I will do one every time I go somewhere worth documenting!

Emily xx

The Sunday Edit #17

This week has been pretty good, I haven't had any arguments with my tutor, my lessons haven't too bad and I haven't been stressed out because of the amount of work I have. This week I was asked to go to Aushcwitz next February with the school for a trip to help with our history GCSE, I am really looking forward to it as I love history and I love learning about World War 2 and everything that was happening in Germany at the time. 

This weekend we have been staying in the new forest for my mums birthday weekend. It is so lovely here, we went to Lymington on Saturday and had a wander around the marina and some shops which was really nice and the journey there was nice as well, we drove all along the moors and saw all the wild horses! Today we are off to Highclere castle, which is the castle that they film Downton Abbey in and I can't wait!! I'm hopefully going to do a post with pictures about this weekend to show you some of the lovely scenery and what we've been up to so that will hopefully be up at some point this week.

I hope you have all had a lovely week and enjoy your weekend!

Emily xx

The Princess Tag 💝

This tag has been floating around the internet for a while and I get a lot of questions about high-end products and whether they are worth the money, so in this tag, I have compiled a little list of all the products I recommend splurging on! I tag you all to do this tag, all you have to do is name a princess product from each category!

Foundation // Obviously I would have to choose my Mac Studio Fix Fluid Foundation as it is my only high end foundation, and also my favourite! I don't like to spend too much on foundations unless I can test them for a while before hand because me and my skin are very picky as to what foundations we like!  I find it hard to find foundations that I like, as well as them agreeing with my skin and not breaking me out, and this one definitely ticks all the boxes.  The finish is perfect, the coverage is perfect, the formula is perfect, it is just perfect! I have raved about this enough so I will move on....

Concealer // I really like my Mac Pro Longwear Concealer, its just a shame that it is too dark for me. The coverage is phenomenal, the formula is really creamy and long lasting and it is an all round amazing concealer.  The only thing I hate is the pump because it pumps way too much product out but I am willing to overlook that because the product itself is really good.

Powder // I don't actually own a high end powder but I am looking into Benefit's Porefessional Powder, so I'll keep you posted...

Blush // I had to pick the Daniel Sandler Watercolour Blush in the shade cherub. This is my all time favourite blush and I would definitely repurchase it as I think it is good value for money because you need the tiniest amount and they last so long! Click Here to see a full review of this product and swatches!

Bronzer // My all time favourite bronzer is Nars Laguna Bronzing Powder.  It is the perfect shade for my ghostly skin and I can get away with wearing it all year round without looking orange, muddy or just ridiculous! I am on the hunt of a drugstore dupe because I am living in constant fear of hitting pan and I think parting with £27 for a bronzer (as amazing as it is) is ridiculous, so if you know of any cheaper dupes, let me know!

Highlight // I found this difficult because I have been using Benefit High Beam so much recently and I am in love with it but I couldn't betray my bae (cringe) Mac Soft and Gentle Mineralize Skinfinish. This is so worth the money, I have used this constantly since the beginning of December 2013 and it is still showing no signs of wear.  You need the smallest amount to achieve a subtle, non-glittery glow and it can also be used as eyeshadow, which I do a lot on lazy days or when I'm in a rush, just to save time!

Eyeshadow // There is no doubt about it, I have to say the Urban Decay Naked 3.  I love rosy toned eyeshadows so this was so up my street! The colours are stunning with a huge range to create so many different looks and the quality of the shadows, besides the fallout, are on point.  This is the perfect palette and I definitely recommend it, however, there are a lot of cheaper alternatives from the likes of Makeup Revolution if you don't fancy kissing goodbye to £37.

Mascara // It had to be Benefit They're Real I have gone through multiple minis of this mascara and a full size and it is definitely the best I have used!  Their are a lot of drugstore mascaras that are similar and do similar things but I do think this is amazing.  The only thing I would say, is that the tubes don't last very long before they dry out so once you start using it, you have to use it every single day until it gets dry to get your moneys worth.

Lips // This was the hardest category because I have quite a few high end lip products that I am in love with so I am going to cheat a little bit on this one and mention a few of my favourites.  If you have been around these parts for a while, then you will know of my unconditional love for Mac Lipsticks (apart from the shade 'snob' which I loathe) with my all time favourites being Peach Blossom and Plumful. The formulas are great, the shade range is amazing, in my opinion they have too much choice and the packaging is just so classic and sophisticated.  However, I'm a little bit miffed at the fact that the prices just keep creeping up, making them a very rare treat! If you have read my previous haul and favourites posts, then you will be aware of my new found love for the Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in the shade 'boy'.  It is the perfect nude for me, has an amazing formula and is so easy to wear, I love it.  The packaging is gorgeous and I feel all mature and sophisticated when I casually whip out my Chanel lippie for touch ups, the small things! If we are talking glosses, then my all time favourite gloss is Nars Turkish Delight as it is so easy to just throw on and can go over any lipstick and look amazing.

I tag you all to do this tag, leave your links below!

Emily xx