Makeup Geek Haul

Hi everyone! I feel like I have been doing lots of posts on eye shadows recently, it's turning into a bit of an addiction! I'm going to try and be good after this and not buy anymore for a while, however the Makeup Geek shadows I'm talking about in this post were a birthday present so I'm trying not to feel guilty about owning more! I've wanted to try Makeup Geek eye shadows for so long now, you seem to only hear good things about them so when I received some for my birthday in a Z Palette I was so excited!

The Z Palette is the small size bought from Beauty Bay for £8.95, I definitely want to invest in a bigger one soon so I can grow this collection, this small palette fits 9 eye shadows so it's really good if you are first trying some shadows and don't know if you will be wanting anymore, it's such a nice travel size as well. I think I will definitely be relying on this when I take trips anywhere, you can choose from pink, black and leopard print, there is more patterns in the other palette sizes but this was the choice for the small palette when I picked mine. I think I'd quite like the large palette next, however there is also a medium and extra large palette to choose from.  

I picked the 9 eye shadows that I got myself, it's quite hard when you are choosing them actually because there is SO much choice. I definitely recommend looking at swatches online to choose what you want because the Beauty Bay site doesn't really represent how the colours look in real life, I tried to be sensible when I was choosing and pick a range of mattes, shimmers and foils because I am so obsessed with shimmery eye shadow and I had to convince myself to get some matte shades because they definitely are essentials! The shades I got are:

- Shimma Shimma. Shimmery pale beige.

- Cinderella. Pale shimmery pink.

- Cupcake. Matte warm pink.

- Cosmopolitan. Rose gold with gold flecks and a shimmery finish.

- Cocoa Bear. Matte reddish brown.

- Peach Smoothie. Light peach beige with a soft matte finish.

- Starry Eyed (foiled). Light champagne beige with slight pink undertones.

- In The Spotlight (foiled). Soft pink with coral undertones.

- Grandstand (foiled). Medium rose gold with slight taupe undertones.

Left to right: Shimma Shimma, Cinderella, Cupcake

Left to right: Cosmopolitan, Cocoa Bear, Peach Smoothie

Left to right: Starry Eyed, In The Spotlight, Grandstand

I am absolutely obsessed with this brand now! I can totally see what all the hype is about, the pigmentation is so good and the best thing to me is just the really large shade range and the chance to build your own little personalised palettes. It is so addictive though, you just constantly want to build up your collection because the quality is so nice. The foiled shadows are in my opinion the best quality, however this is reflected in the fact they are more expensive. On Beauty Bay the standard eye shadows are priced at £4.95 where as the foiled shadows are priced at £7.95. The mattes and shimmers are still really impressive though, I was actually surprised I was able to get my hands on Cocoa Bear because this shade is very popular, what I will say about this shade though is that it isn't as pigmented as the rest, it's still good quality but to me it is outshone by some of the other shades, I think the reason it is so popular is because the actual colour is so nice and so wearable. I'ts really hard to me to pick a favourite shade because I love them all! I think if I had to choose I'd say Starry Eyed, Cinderella and Cupcake, they're so pretty and wearable. 

It's really funny when you do start building a collection it's blatantly obvious what your go to shades are, you can definitely see I love my pinks, neutrals and shimmers. If you are considering trying Makeup Geek I would definitely recommend, the quality really is so good, the same as if not better than some high end brands, plus as I said before it's so fun building up your own little personalised collection. I really want more and I definitely plan on buying some more in the future, it's nice because they are affordable so you don't have to splurge too much on them, you've been warned though they are very addictive! Let me know in the comments if you've tried Makeup Geek and what your favourite shades are!

My 21st Birthday

Hi everyone! It was my 21st birthday on Sunday and I'm actually quite sad to be writing this post because it means my birthday is over and that is such an awful thought, I get so sad every year when my birthday is over I don't know if anyone else feels like this too? Anyway I thought I would do a little post on how I spent the day and let you know what I got up to! I apologise for the picture quality by the way as most of these photos were taken on my phone, and there is also some very random photos that I thought I'd add in anyway.

I actually stayed at my boyfriend's house this year on the night before my birthday instead of waking up at home just because it would feel so much more like my birthday there with all his family to celebrate with, I was so ill on the Saturday night though, I went bowling with my boyfriend, my Mum, my sister, brother and brother-in-law and it was hard to enjoy it properly because I had the WORST migraine so it put a massive dampener on my birthday eve! I woke up there anyway and we had a really nice chill morning where his Mum cooked breakfast for us and I opened my presents. Since it was my 21st I just got money off everyone apart from my boyfriend who got me a few bits, including the prettiest Tiffany necklace which I didn't know I was getting, by far my favourite present! The whole morning was quite chilled really, I just went back home to see my Dad and my Nana and also popped by my Mum's house then I packed my case because I was going with Matty (my boyfriend) to a hotel in Durham called Ramside Hall. I've actually done a post on this hotel before because we go all the time, it's definitely our chilled happy place, it's such an amazing hotel and if you're in the North East I would definitely suggest you go!

We had a lovely room, they seriously have the nicest bathrooms, I need a stand alone bath when I get my own house they are my favourite things ever! We had a meal booked in their restaurant for 8pm so we just relaxed in the room for ages before I started getting ready.

I was absolutely obsessed with my cake, just wanted to add that in there! It's supposed to look like an ice cream sundae and it's only from Asda as well so I thought that was really good, plus it tastes amazing! I still have half of it left though so I think I'm going to be eating birthday cake for a while.

The hotel has such a nice restaurant called The Rib Room, it's a steak restaurant that does the nicest steak ever, I'd never normally choose to get a steak anywhere else apart from here.

I had the cheddar souffle to start with a chive cream sauce (probably my favourite starter I've ever had), then I had the fillet steak with a blue cheese glaze and hand cut chips and they brought me out a free cheesecake after with a little candle in because they knew it was my birthday which was so lovely! After that I just went back to the room and had a really nice bath and chilled out in the biggest comfiest bed ever, my favourite part of that hotel is definitely the steak and the comfy beds!

I still can't believe I'm 21, it's something you get so excited for and then you blink and it's over, I definitely don't feel like a proper adult yet though! However I did have a massive pick me up this morning when I managed to get Beyonce tickets when she comes to Sunderland on tour, honestly the most stressful situation ever trying to get tickets to something that high demand and I can't believe I actually managed to get them! It's nice to do a little update post like this, they're definitely fun to write, I hope you enjoyed reading it too!

Zoeva Cocoa Blend Palette

I don't know if it's just me that feels like this but I really cannot have too many eye shadows, having a choice is so much more fun, to be honest I've actually turned into a palette addict. I've got so many palettes and I love buying more, the problem is that I never actually get round to using them, so I was having a look through and I found the Zoeva Cocoa Blend palette which was actually a Christmas present and it is so pretty that I made sure to start using it more, so I thought I'd do a little post on my thoughts on this palette and show you some swatches! 

I'd only ever tried Zoeva brushes before this, I love the quality of them and when I saw everyone raving about their eye shadow palettes I asked for one for Christmas, the Cocoa Blend palette was definitely the one that appealed to me the most, I'm so obsessed with warm toned browns and shimmery shades so I needed it! I do also really like the look of the Rose Golden palette so I'd quite like to try this next. You get 10 eye shadows in this palette which are a mixture of mattes, mattes and shimmers and they are a really good size I think, there is 1.5g in each pan plus the pans are quite big, I hate in some palettes where the pans are really small and close together so you get product everywhere! At £15.50 though even before I had tried it I thought it was really good value for money so I'd definitely suggesting having a look at Zoeva's palettes because they've definitely got something for everyone. The packaging is really good as well, it's not the most luxurious however it's nice and slim so perfect for travelling, only downside is that it doesn't have a mirror but this doesn't really bother me as I always use a big mirror anyway. 

I was actually so surprised at the quality of the eye shadows as well, considering the price and because Zoeva is more known for their brushes however some of these shades in my opinion are better than high end brands! I'm not going to say this is consistent throughout the whole palette, as there are two shades which I'm really not keen on but I will talk about them later, however aside from them the quality is so good, very pigmented and easy to blend! The shades you get are:

- Bitter Start. Palest matte nude.

- Sweeter End. Shimmer duo chrome nougat.

- Warm Notes. Glittering cranberry purple.

- Subtle Blend. Metallic deep bronze.

- Beans Are White. Deep cocoa brown matte.

- Pure Ganache. Pure and luxurious metallic gold.

- Substitute For Love. Toffee brown with subtle shimmer.

- Freshly Toasted. Rich mahogany brown.

- Infusion. Matte dark brown infused with gold glitter.

- Delicate Acidity. Berry toned brown shimmer.

Top row left to right: Bitter Start, Sweeter End, Warm Notes, Subtle Blend, Beans Are White

Bottom row left to right: Pure Ganache, Substitute For Love, Freshly Toasted, Infusion, Delicate Acidity

Without a doubt my absolute favourites from this palette are Warm Notes and Pure Ganache, they are by far the best quality, they are so pigmented and just the most gorgeous shades! The two shades that I don't like are Beans Are White and Infusion, they were just far too chalky for me and they took so much work even to show up on a swatch, for me the pigmentation just isn't there plus I tend to stay away from dark shades like this anyway. Delicate Acidity is absolutely gorgeous as well, this is normally something that would scare me off as it is bold however I can't wait to play around with this more and see what I can come up with. I really like Sweeter End as well, it isn't the most bold and takes a little bit of work however it is so pretty, I really want to use Warm Notes on Valentines Day, I think is it is so perfect for a really girly look! I love them all apart from the two mentioned so to me this palette is definitely a must have, it's a really good price and the quality doesn't disappoint. This was bought for me from Beauty Bay where there is also a few more of their palettes on their so they are definitely worth a look, I will 100% be trying more of Zoeva's palettes I can't get over how nice they are. Let me know in the comments if you have tried any of Zoeva's make up and what you think!

Vichy Dermablend Foundation & Setting Powder

Hi everyone! I'm doing a post today on a brand I had never actually heard of before however when I was contacted asking if I would like to try Vichy's Dermablend Foundation* and the Dermablend Setting Powder* I thought why not because I'm always open to trying new brands in the hope of finding new products that I might love. I actually did some research on these products by looking at other reviews and I found that they are quite popular with bloggers so I was hopeful that I would love them too! The brand has had a revamp along with the introduction of some new foundation shades and I am so happy to say that I successfully found a shade that works for me first time! This honestly never happens to me I'm so bad at choosing a shade for any brand and I actually got it right so I'm feeling quite pleased with myself.

Starting with the foundation I was actually a bit wary because the main focus of this foundation is it's high coverage designed to cover both minor and severe skin concerns. To me when I hear this I always think "this will not work for my dry skin", in my head I just picture full coverage foundations to be matte and to make my skin look so dull and flat. I actually find this a big issue for me because I'm really not happy with my skin, I have red pigmentation so it's quite uneven and I would love to find a foundation which covered this up well but still had a nice finish. I'm so happy to say that this didn't highlight my dry skin or make my skin look dull! Whilst it isn't the standard dewy finish that I usually opt for I do really like it, I would say it is a semi-matte finish, not totally matte however there isn't any dewiness in my opinion. 

The reason I was first impressed with this was because last week I was so ill, I had a cold and my skin felt so gross and red and I went to use a Bourjois foundation (which I love don't get me wrong) and it just didn't cover up anything because my skin was worse than usual that day, so I thought I'd try the Vichy foundation and it made such a difference, it covered up all the redness and anything that gave away that I looked ill! I can definitely vouch that it is full coverage, so if this is something you like I would suggest trying this because the finish is nice as well, plus if you're dry like me I think as long as you use a moisturising primer you will be absolutely fine, you don't need a primer that will give your make up longevity because this foundation has really good staying power anyway.

The foundation comes in a little squeezy tube, You get 30ml of product which is the standard however because of the packaging it's so compact and easy to take around with you so perfect for travelling, my only issue with the packaging is that I think these squeeze tubes can be a bit messy so you just have to be a bit more careful. 

The foundation definitely has quite a thick consistency but at the same time it is nice and easy to blend, I only used a tiny pump in the picture but you get so much product so I think value for money is so good, I got mine in the shade 15 Opal for anyone who is wondering, which is the second lightest shade and I am quite pale at the minute, so the lightest shade which is 05 Porcelain which is one of the new shades would be perfect for anyone very pale who struggles to find a match for their skin. There is 8 shades all together, so whilst there isn't a vast amount of choice I think there is something for everyone, trust me if I can find a shade to match me which I never can then it must be a good range!

Also I really want to point out that whilst this is full coverage it doesn't come across as if you're wearing a mask which is so important to me, I really hate that feeling that you have lots of make up on, I did find this to be quite natural which surprised me so it's also something I would wear during the day. It does have SPF35 so I wouldn't be inclined to wear this on a night out or anytime I would be getting pictures taken as no-one wants white flashback! 

I really want to talk about the Setting Powder because I really do not get on with powders, they always seem to give me cake face and I will hardly ever use it because of this, plus as I have dry skin I don't want to absorb any moisture that I do have! However I have fallen in love with this, this is 100% something I would go out and buy myself, it definitely has changed my relationship with powder and also taught me of what to look for in products that I might want to try in the future. 

It is a loose powder which I like and don't like at the same time, I find loose powders to be very messy which is annoying however makes it so fine resulting in zero cake face for me which I absolutely love! Even though it's white it also doesn't affect the colour of your make up, I know I am pale right now but I am not stark white and I didn't want this powder to leave that effect and thankfully it didn't. Whilst I do have dry skin after wearing make up for a while I always get my make up rubbing off and going very shiny on my cheeks and on my nose, so I have not been applying this to my full face just because my skin stays dry everywhere else all day so I don't think it's a necessity, however I have been applying it on my nose and on my cheeks to set my make up and it stays on for so much longer and I don't get the shiny face anymore. It does mattify my face a bit which I'm not overly keen on as it isn't my favourite finish which is why I only apply it on certain areas and use as little as I have to, however if you love a matte finish then you will love this. 

I was definitely surprised the fact I actually liked these products because they are typically the opposite of what I would go for, however it has encouraged me to branch out a bit more and look for different products that I wouldn't typically choose first because you never know what you might like! The foundation retails for £18 and the setting powder for £15 in Boots so they aren't drugstore price however they aren't a full on splurge, they are really nice quality though and if you are looking for full coverage or longevity then I would definitely recommend both of them, I have used the powder with other products however and I found it worked just as well, it is my favourite of the two products, whilst I do like the foundation I just really love the powder and I definitely think it will become an essential in my make up bag. Let me know in the comments if you've tried this brand and what you think!

*PR sample however all opinions are my own

Lush Valentines Day 2016

Hi everyone! I don't know about you but I really love when Lush bring out their collections, I find limited edition products so exciting and I think that Lush collections are so fun. Now that all their Christmas products are gone I was so happy to see that they had released their Valentines Day collection for this year and it has some amazing products! Valentine's Day is actually my favourite holiday of the year apart from Christmas but I think I'm a bit bias as it's also my birthday, so I'm very excited for it to roll round this year. However aside from my birthday I just think that there are so many nice products released for Valentines Day and Lush's collection really didn't disappoint. I had a little splurge in their Oxford Street store as I really wanted to try their new products, I didn't get their whole range as there was a few products I wasn't bothered about but I will share with you what I did get.

From left to right:

- Tisty Tosty bath bomb (£3.50). I don't actually believe this is part of the collection however when I was in the store it was placed with the rest of the collection so I just bought it anyway because it sounded really cool! It's a really cute love heart shaped bath bomb with a note attached to the back which has a little poem on it, and the Lush website states it is based on a medieval love potion. It's scented with geranium, jasmine and rose so it has a really nice floral scent however it isn't too overpowering because floral scents aren't typically my favourite, this is just right though! It also has real rosebuds embedded in it, so when it dissolves in the bath they are floating around which I think is nice, to me this would be perfect for when you've had a really long day and just want to chill out!

- Lover Lamp bath bomb (£3.95). This is definitely my favourite of the collection, I wish this was a permanent product because I love it! It also has cocoa butter in, I think all my favourite bath bombs from Lush have cocoa butter in, they are just so moisturising and they smell so good. The Lush website says this has a chocolate orange scent which I definitely agree with, and who doesn't like chocolate orange really? The smell comes from the vanilla and Brazilian orange oil scents and I just love this, it also has hearts embedded in it which are left in the bath once the bath bomb has dissolved, they're really cute actually they reminded me of Haribo love hearts, if you get this you will get what I mean when you use it! The hearts then melt on your skin which also softens the skin along with the cocoa butter, I am so sad I can't buy this all year round because it's amazing, I might have to stock up before these products aren't sold anymore!

- Unicorn Horn bubble bar (£4.25). From what I've seen online this is such a popular product, I'm really not into Lush bubble bars to be honest, I just can never be bothered which them however I had to buy this one, it's so pretty and smells so nice! It has a neroli oil, ylang ylang and lavender scent so it smells really interesting, it's quite strong but so nice, plus it just looks really cool! Plus it makes lots of bubbles and I think you will get a lot of use out of this. 

- Prince Charming shower cream (£9.75 250g). For someone who has been using Snow Fairy constantly since Christmas this was so different and quite a nice change, don't get me wrong I love Snow Fairy but this scent is so nice in a completely different way! It has cocoa butter in (always a winner with me) and it has a pomegranate, marshmallow and vanilla scent. I've honestly not smelt anything like this from Lush before, it's quite subtle so definitely not overpowering, for me it's so hard to describe I think you need to smell it yourself to find out, but I really like it! As a shower cream it's quite thick but I like this and I think you get so much value for money from these products. 

There was a few other products including a soap, a bubble bar, a lip gloss and a lip scrub however I only bought what I thought I would really love, plus getting the whole collection would be far too expensive so I just picked my favourites and I would definitely recommend them! Let me know in the comments if you've tried anything from this collection and what you think!