27 June 2016

Barry M Lip Oils

Hi everyone! I'm actually really excited to write this post because I'm so happy I found these products, they've literally come at a perfect time because I for some weird reason have really gone off lipstick the past month. I don't know why but I really can't be bothered with a full on lip product, I'm just far more into more natural products recently. I saw these Barry M lip oils in one of Zoella's recent videos and I've been after some lip oils for ages because I love the idea of them, they're basically a lip product designed to condition and moisturise lips but also to leave them looking shiny and fuller. I get quite chapped lips anyway but I find lip balms quite boring where as a lip oil also makes your lips look really nice as well as improving their condition, so I really wanted to try these and see if I would enjoy wearing them since I'd gone of lipsticks and I'm not keen on lip glosses in the first place.


The main reason I was so interested in these was because I've seen high end lip oils before, but I haven't come across any drugstore versions, I kind of feel like they are less of a necessity purchase and you get them just because you want them if that makes sense? I don't really NEED a lip oil even though I wanted one which is why I stayed away from high end ones, so when I saw that Barry M had released these for only £4.99 each I really wanted to try them. I was also interested to try these because I've only ever tried nail products from Barry M, so I had no idea whether these would be any good or not. They only have two out at the minute, Berry Good has raspberry and pomegranate oils to moisturise and condition and this one is also slightly tinted, Coco Loco is a clear shade that has coconut oil and camellia in it. 


They come with quite a basic applicator but I quite like it, it's fairly small so it's not messy to apply although it does take a bit longer. The packaging itself obviously isn't the most luxurious, I don't really expect it to be for the price but I still think that the packaging is quite cute. I feel like these are just really good to throw in your bag and use throughout the day, one of the main problems with these is obviously the staying power, they do stay on but if you go to eat anything they just come off, the same as a lip gloss would, however when they are on your lips they feel so amazing! I actually liked these so much I caved and bought a high end lip oil after which was the Clarins Lip Comfort Oil because I had jumped on the lip oil bandwagon and fallen in love, plus I wanted to see how they compared. You can tell the difference between the two but not necessarily in a bad way, these lip oils feel a lot lighter compared to the high end ones, but I think some people might like this because they are a bit less sticky, and you don't feel like you have a heavy product on. Your lips do feel so much nicer after you wear these, I think daily use would benefit but I probably will be using them a lot anyway since I prefer them over a lipstick or any other lip product at the minute.


Another different between the high end product and the Barry M lip oils is the colour in the tinted product, it shows up no where near as much. This picture doesn't do the shade any favours to be honest, Berry Good is on the left and Coco Loco is on the right, I think Berry Good looks a lot nicer on the lips than swatched, it doesn't full on tint your lips it just compliments and enhances your lip colour with a bit of a hint of pink but I like this to be honest. Coco Loco just applies like a clear gloss but both still make your lips look really healthy and full. If I had to choose one of these over the other, based on how your lips look I'd choose Berry Good. My favourite thing about both these products though is the smell, they honestly smell so amazing I'm obsessed with the scent! I prefer how Coco Loco smells, it has the nicest coconut smell, it just reminds me of summer, where as Berry Good is a sweet raspberry scent, I do like it but I just think Coco Loco is so nice. 

I actually am obsessed with these products, and for the price they are so good! I think they are really good for people like me who are more into natural lip products but are also good for the condition of your lips, compared to a high end lip oil they are still something I would purchase again, in some ways I prefer the Barry M lip oils actually, I love how they feel when you're wearing them. I'm so happy these were released for summer as they go so well with a nice glowy look so I will definitely be using them a lot, let me know in the comments if you've tried these and what you think!
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19 June 2016

Morphe 12S Soul Of Summer Palette

Hi everyone! I hope you're having a lovely weekend, I'm actually enjoying a week off work at the minute since my shifts got switched around a bit so I'm enjoying it while I can because I'm in basically everyday from Thursday onwards for a while so I'm making the most of the time off. It feels like it's been so long since I've done a palette review, but I try to limit myself to how many I buy because I've got such a big pile of them to work through and it seems like it's never going to end. I did treat myself though when I saw this Morphe palette on Cult Beauty because it was so pretty and the shades were all right up my street. I'm far more into shimmer shades than matte shades, and this palette consists of 12 shimmers, it obviously isn't a palette you can use completely on it's own, well I can't anyway as I do use matte shades on my eyes alongside shimmers but I couldn't resist getting this as it had the prettiest shades in it.


The palette has a mixture of 12 shimmery shades, they're so coppery and bronzey I'm actually obsessed with them! On the website it talks about the palette being designed for summer with it's really warm tones wanting to complement sun kissed complexions. Don't get me wrong though I think these shades would look lovely on lighter skin tones as well, not just for those with a tan, however I can't wait till I get a bit more tanned so I can wear these more!


The packaging is just standard Morphe, it's pretty basic but I don't think they need to be too over the top as it's definitely reflected in the price, this was only £11.95 and considering you get 12 shades that are really nice quality, especially considering the price I don't feel like the packaging needs to be any different. I love the packaging as well because it's such a good size, the eyeshadow pans are quite big but the palette is quite small, it's really thin and compact so it's really good for travelling. I do wish that these eye shadows have names though, I just find them much easier to talk about when they have been named, but it's not a necessity it's just something I prefer.


Top row left to right


Middle row left to right


Bottom row left to right

One thing I really want to point out is that all the swatches were all one swipe so it just shows how insanely pigmented these shadows are, they're amazing! I do feel like all the shades are so summery and pretty and I will 100% be getting a lot of use out of this palette. I've had really good experiences with Morphe products actually, I love their 35O palette so much, and this one is so good as well, I feel like this is just an all shimmer, more compact version of that palette. Considering the price these are such good quality, the only difference I will say is that these feel a little bit chunkier than some other high end shimmery eye shadows, the glitter in them is a little bit more noticeable and you can tell when you swatch them. I think that this will just make them a little bit more work when you are applying them, but I don't think it's a major issue and the pigmentation is definitely there, so for the price I feel like this is a must have if you love warm shades like these! I love all the shades, however I don't think I will get a lot of use out of the middle row compared to the others as I don't love them as much, if I had to pick a favourite shade it would probably be the last two on the top row and the third shade on the bottom row, they're so pretty. Let me know in the comments if you've tried this palette and what you think!
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16 June 2016

Favourite Summer Lip Products

Hi everyone! I love when the seasonal blog posts start popping up everywhere, I think everyone does change the makeup to match the season and I definitely think a change in shade choices happens a lot. I tend to stick to nude shades for the majority of the year, but when summer comes round I definitely like to have a little change and choose some of my brighter more fun shades, so I thought I'd pick some of my favourites and post them on here. I'm always looking for recommendations as well as I haven't bought any lip products in ages, so if you've got any favourites please let me know in the comments as I'm on the look out for more shades this summer! I apologise for the lack of brand variation by the way, this just reflects what brands are my favourite though and these are definitely my top choices of all the lip products I own!


- NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Antwerp (£5.50). I never usually go for a matte lip in summer but this is so lovely and creamy it doesn't really feel like a matte, it just has the matte finish. Sometimes when you're out for long days as well you get such good staying power on these products, and they're really affordable which is a bonus! Antwerp is a really nice coral pink colour, it's not too bright which usually puts me off as I find really bold shades intimidating, so this is definitely a nice happy medium.

- NYX Butter Gloss in Maple Blondie (£5). I'm really not a lip gloss person, and I can seriously say that the Butter Glosses are probably the only lip glosses I'm keen on, the shade range is so good, and they don't have that really overly sticky finish that a lot of lip glosses have which I like. I love the finish for summer as well, plus they're so moisturising which I definitely prefer at this time of year. Maple Blondie is a really pretty deep peach shade and I really think it would look good on so many skin tones.

- Collection Cream Puff Lip Cream in Fairy Cake (£2.99). I would definitely say this is really similar to the NYX Lip Cream that I mentioned, the shade and the formula is so similar, this one is just a bit cheaper, and it is really affordable. The reason I included this is that NYX isn't the most accessible in the UK so if you can't get their lip creams then this is definitely a good alternative. Fairy Cake is another nice coral pink shade, I wore this so much when I was on holiday last year, it's so nice with a tan as well, so it's perfect for summer.

- Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick in Penelope Pink (£23). This shade is completely different from any that I have mentioned, it's such a nice nude pink however I included it because it's my favourite lip product that I own by far and I wear this all year round, I used it lots in winter and I will be using it lots in summer as well, the formula is amazing and I really think this is the perfect nude. It's not cheap but it's so worth the money!

- MAC Sunny Seoul (£15.50). This was actually the first MAC lipstick I bought, I wore it non-stop in Mexico and it is the nicest light pink shade, I'd describe it as a warm pink with a luminous finish, it's a cremesheen lipstick which is definitely my favourite finish from MAC, and it's one of those shades that will look good on everyone.

- MAC Flamingo (£15.50). I don't wear this one as often as I should as it is probably the brightest out of all the products here, but this to me is one of the most perfect summer shades, it's a pink with a hint of coral, so not too full on and it's a lustre finish so you get a bit more coverage with this shade than you would with a cremesheen. I can't wait to wear this one more when I'm a bit more tanned as it's so pretty and definitely perfect for when you're on holiday.

- MAC Koi Coral (£15.50). You can so tell I'm not the most adventurous with my summer shades, as this is another coral shade, however it's more of a pale peachy nude and this is also a cremesheen finish. I love this shade so much, I'm really not into really bold shades so at summer shades like this are so nice for me, this one is a bit more shimmery than any of the others I've mentioned so I love this for the night time in summer.


Antwerp, Maple Blondie, Fairy Cake 


Penelope Pink, Sunny Seoul, Flamingo, Koi Coral

These are definitely my go to shades this summer, they aren't too bold or full on but they are still really bright and pretty, a bit more adventurous than my standard nude shade but not too crazy that they scare me! Please let me know in the comments some of your favourite lip products you'll be using this summer, I'm wanting to buy some more as it feels like forever that I've gone out and bought a new lip product, plus I want to expand my horizon! 
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10 June 2016

L'Oreal Paris Nude Magique Cushion Foundation

Hi everyone! I absolutely love writing these foundations posts as I actually think you can never have enough foundation, and I love mixing them up for whatever mood I'm in or what season it is, so when I see a new one come out I like the look of I get so excited. I'd been really interested in cushion foundations for a while now, I'm such a sucker for anything that looks cool and is a bit different so when I saw a few brands with these cushion foundations I really wanted one. I had seen the Lancome Miracle Cushion foundation which I'd wanted to try but £30 was a bit too pricey when I wasn't even sure if it would work for me, so when I'd seen that L'Oreal were releasing their own cushion foundation I had to get it when it was released. I was so confused actually because I'd seen lots of American vloggers talking about the L'Oreal Lumi Cushion and then in the UK when it had apparently been released I couldn't find it anywhere, but I guess that it has a different name in the UK which is the Nude Magique Cushion foundation, I don't know if it's the exact same product but this is the only cushion foundation from L'Oreal that is on sale in the UK at the minute.


The whole concept of the cushion foundations is that it's a liquid foundation which has been saturated into a cushion, so you get the product from the cushion by tapping on it, and you can build the coverage you want. I know some people probably will think this is a bit pointless when you can just get it in a bottle but I actually love the application, I'll talk a bit more about that below. The packaging is so nice, it's really pretty and girly and it actually isn't too bulky. when I was seeing pictures of it I was worried it would be unnecessarily big and take up lots of room but I think it's nice and compact. One thing that bugs me though is it actually doesn't state how many ml of liquid is saturated, I'm assuming it's the standard 30ml but I can't find it online and it isn't on the packaging so I'm really not sure. 


Inside the compact you get a mirror, which is actually a good mirror for a drugstore product I think, this is another bonus of this product as opposed to a bottle foundation, you get a mirror as well so it's really good when you're on the go. It comes with an applicator inside, the website advises you to use this and tap the applicator on the cushion sponge, then tap on the skin to build coverage. I don't use this, I really like using a flat top buffing brush and just tapping that onto the cushion then applying straight to my skin, you could also use a Beauty Blender or any make up sponge and tap the cushion then apply to the skin, I don't really want to use the applicator that comes with the product as I just don't think it would work for me.



The cushion is sealed tight under a little plastic lid so it doesn't dry out, and you can see in the pictures how the liquid foundation is saturated into it. When it comes to the whole cushion aspect I was unsure on how I'd feel, I didn't know if it would be a bit pointless to me when you can just buy a regular foundation in a bottle but I seriously love this! I wish I could get all my foundations like this because I think it's so much easier. I don't have to worry about it spilling or leaking and I find that when I'm applying my make up it's just a lot less messy. Plus I think it's so good for travelling because it's nice and compact, you don't have to worry about any glass bottles potentially breaking and it has a mirror inside. I feel like it makes applying my foundation a bit quicker, especially with a buffing brush that you can just tap into the cushion and apply straight to your face. 


The actual formula of the foundation is claimed to be a dewy glow finish with sheer to medium coverage depending about how much you build it up. It definitely does give a glowy finish however I personally think it isn't massively dewy. It's definitely not matte by any means but I would say a luminous glow rather than dewy, I know a lot of people will love this because they aren't into a full dewy look but I would prefer if it was a bit more dewy. As well I also find that the coverage isn't as light as I would like it, in the summer when I'm after a glowy finish I quite like very sheer coverage as my skin is always a bit bitter, but this is a bit heavier. Again a lot of people will love this it's just my personal preference, I just feel like you feel like you are wearing this, whereas I love a foundation in summer that feels like I don't have anything on my skin, I definitely can feel that this is a bit heavier. I do still love the finish though don't get me wrong, I just wouldn't say it would be my go to summer foundation, it's really lovely and glowy but I'm just after something a bit lighter, I will definitely keep using this as I do like it but like I said it won't be my go to this summer. 

I have this in the lightest shade which is Porcelain, there is only seven shades and usually I would never go for the lightest one, I am fair but typically I will be the second or third lightest shade, however due to the small range I got the lightest and I'm glad I did as it does match. I will say though if you are really really fair you might struggle to get a match in this so definitely test it out first if you are thinking of buying it. I bought this when it was on an introductory offer at Boots for £9.99 but it's regular price is £14.99 so it isn't the cheapest drugstore foundation. Whilst I do really like the formula it isn't my favourite that I've used, but if you like a nice glowy finish then you should still try it because you might absolutely love it, my favourite part about this product though is definitely the cushion aspect, I seriously do love this and wish I could get my favourite foundations in this form. Let me know in the comments if you've tried this and what you think!
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6 June 2016

Matty's 21st / A Weekend At The Lake District

Hi everyone! It's so nice to finally be writing a lifestyle post it's been far too long, now summer has began for me I've got so many exciting things coming up so you can expect a few more of these, I've actually had such a nice week I was house sitting for my mum while she was on holiday and I had the week off work as well, then towards the end of the week it was Matty's 21st birthday so we went for a little one night stay in the Lake District. Sorry about the picture quality by the way, I only had my phone with me as I didn't want to carry my big camera around.


We kind of started Matty's birthday weekend on the Thursday which was the day before his birthday, we went for a family meal on the night and back to his house so he could have his birthday cake and get his presents and cards since we would be away the next day. 



We just went back home after that and got all our stuff packed for the next day since we were going to have to leave early, I was dreading all the week that the weather would be awful when we got there but it was the total opposite thankfully! We actually did the same thing for his birthday last year but had such a good time that we wanted to do it again this year. On his actual birthday on the Friday we drove up in the morning to South Lakes Safari Zoo. If you've never been before you honestly have to go it's so amazing! Definitely my favourite zoo I've ever been to, it's so much more interactive than any others because some of the animals are just roaming around with no fences like the lemurs and the squirrel monkeys. You obviously aren't allowed to touch them or feed them, but sometimes the squirrel monkeys like to jump on people's shoulders, it happened to both of us last year but this year it only happened to Matty because I avoided them. The one that jumped on him did not want to get off he was leaning towards the fence trying to encourage it to jump on it and off him but it wasn't budging, it did get off eventually though after chewing Matty's collar a little bit.




We left the zoo at about half 2 to drive up to Ambleside where we were staying over, if you go to the Lakes I'd really recommend staying here, it's such a cute little place and it's a lot quieter than some of the more popular places like Keswick, this year we stayed in a place called The Waterhead Hotel which was just opposite Ambleside pier and the lake, I didn't actually get any pictures of the room I completely forgot but I got a picture of our view from the window. 


We went up to Ambleside town centre which is only a 10 minute walk away from our hotel to play crazy golf, honestly I have never been to the Lakes ever when it was this hot! It was about 25 degrees when we were playing crazy golf and I was so annoyed at myself because I was wearing skinny jeans and a t-shirt and trainers, I was going to bring these dungarees that I'd bought with me but in my head I was just like no way is it going to be hot enough to wear these and I didn't pack them! I was so frustrated at myself because it was to the point where it was uncomfortably hot, so after we'd played crazy golf we went back to the hotel just to chill for a little bit.

Last year when we stayed in Ambleside as well we had been recommended this Italian restaurant called Dodds so we went there and it was seriously the best Italian restaurant I have ever been to, if you're ever around this area you have to go, so we went back again this year and it was so nice again! I'm actually obsessed with their food, we got antipasti to share to start, it's quite weird actually we both hate tomatoes so much, but the tomatoes they have with their antipasti are so amazing that we actually argue over who gets the majority of them they are so nice. I had grilled chicken penne for my main which was in a spicy sauce with spicy sausage in it as well which was so nice and Matty had a pizza with a hot sauce and spicy toppings on it. Then we were going to share a pudding but I was feeling extra fat that night and we decided just to get our own, I had sticky toffee pudding which I never actually knew originated from the Lakes but it's my favourite pudding ever so I always get it everywhere I go and Matty had limoncello mousse. 




I'm actually so sad now looking at those pictures because I'd die to have that meal again, however we rarely get the chance to travel up there so it's likely I will have to wait another year for Matty's next birthday so we can go again! We just went back to our hotel after this and chilled out, then the next day we had breakfast facing the lake which was so nice and checked out. We were actually going to Grizedale forest after this to ride segways with Go Ape, we did the Go Ape course last year at Whinlatter forest so we wanted to do something different this year and I'd definitely recommend it, it was so much fun! They are so weird to get used to at first but once you relax and get used to them they are actually really easy to drive, you get an hour on them where an instructor takes you in the forest and you do a little trek on them, it is really intimidating at first though you have to go up and down some really steep hills so they teach you how to do that, it's so good though!


We drove up to Keswick after this because we were meeting Matty's parents who were also at the Lakes that weekend around 4, but we had a bit of time before this so we hired a rowing boat and went out onto Derwent Water which was amazing! It was absolutely boiling again and we didn't have any sun cream as we never anticipated it being this hot, and unfortunately we both got burnt which is annoying. I never even burn when we go abroad how did I get burnt in the Lakes where it rains all the time! Being on the lake was so amazing, and Matty is actually really good at rowing, I had no idea. This was probably one of my favourite parts of the trip because it was so chilled out and the views were amazing on the lake.




After that we met up with this parents and had fish and chips and chilled out for a bit looking round Keswick, it was so busy though because it was so hot and it was the last Saturday of half term, so we were absolutely shattered at this point so we drove home after we'd had food and did nothing on Saturday night because we were so tired.

I'm so sad to be home now after such a good trip, we probably will do the same thing again for his birthday next year as we always have such a good time on this trip, thankfully we have lots more exciting things planned this summer! We are going to Madrid in July which I am so excited about, I have no idea what to expect as neither of us have ever been before, then last night we actually spontaneously booked a weekend in Rome in August which I can't wait for, I went to Rome years ago when I was 15 with the school but I was more interested in the water park and being with my friends then, standard for any 15 year old I'm guessing, so I can't wait to properly appreciate it more this time round. Let me know in the comments what you've got planned for the Summer!
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